I manifest boldness.

The bold part of asking for a raise lasts about eleven seconds. Everything around it is unglamorous — the figure looked up, the sentence rehearsed in a car park, the date chosen because the quarterly numbers had just landed well.

Boldness looks like temperament from outside and is mostly preparation from inside. People who appear to leap have usually worked out where they would land.

Which is a kinder account than the one where some are simply born brave. Pick one thing this week and do the rehearsing. The eleven seconds will still be frightening. They will also be survivable.