It’s useful to occasionally shift the focus inside yourself and reflect in your role as a leader what can help have a better impact in your work environment? Ask yourself what is it that people around you perceive? Which traits are the marks of true leaders?

These 3 behaviours reveal how confident you are in your role

1. How You Walk

Some people impress us from the very first moment. The voice and the character of our counterpart doesn’t play a role at this stage. The fact is, the first thing we notice is a person’s appearance: walk, facial expressions, gestures, overall demeanor.

Think about past encounters, whether it was teachers at school, leaders and colleagues at work or sports coaches who immediately made a strong impression on you: why were you ready to trust them?

We like people who stand firm in life, that take charge and act with natural confidence. Your gait, the way you walk, and body language send out strong signals and subconsciously set certain standards, mostly of a nonverbal nature, that others continually observe. When you walk through at the workplace, people feel:

• the urgency of your pace,
• the warm acknowledgment of others through eye contact and
• the enthusiasm and energy in your body language
• your drive and decisiveness

These traits influence employees’ motivation and mood.

It’s the same in the dojo. The student observes the master: while learning techniques and movements, they also unconsciously pick up behaviors.

Are you there, full presence, giving it your all? If so, your team will react by doing the same, mirroring giving back the energy you are putting in.

Are the values that you stand for such as politeness, integrity and self-discipline also lived?

2. How You Communicate

Communication is a fundamental skill that must be developed and refined throughout your career. In addition to clearly articulated speech, this also includes active listening. As you advance in your career, the significance of your communication expands, from promoting discussions to building trust and conveying visions.

• whether you show genuine interest in others,
• whether you give constructive feedback,
• whether you can accept others’ opinions and criticism,
• whether you celebrate success as a team and don’t hog the spotlight,
• whether you admit mistakes to yourself and others,
• whether you stay calm in critical situations and lead with clear decisions and confidence

Such signals make everyone feel better and characterize people who are confident and know their role. Even when mistakes happen, as long as they openly acknowledge them, learn from them, and seize the opportunity to improve.

3. How You Interact with Others

If you view leadership and management not just as a job but as a calling and carry out your tasks with enthusiasm and passion, you also understand that it’s not about power and control. What counts is your drive to move yourself and your team forward:

Not only trusting and enabling your employees, but also providing them with the necessary support, guidance, and recognition so they can be fulfilled, effective, and successful in their roles.

Respect—especially mutual respect—is hereby particularly valuable.

• Respect creates an atmosphere where everyone feels heard and valued, facilitating communication and collaboration.
• Respect enables disagreements to be resolved constructively, without anyone feeling belittled.
• Respect promotes diversity and inclusion by viewing differences as enrichment, allowing organizations to benefit from diverse perspectives and skills.

The Budo way as a life philosophy teaches us to meet ourselves and others with humility and benevolence. How do we achieve this?

How Do You Get There?

As Albert Schweitzer said: “The three most important ways to lead others are: to set an example… to set an example… to set an example…” In other words: if what you say aligns with how you act, your team will trust you and be open to the direction you propose.

Start by observing yourself and your team. Self-reflection is the first step toward improving your behavior. Here are some important questions that can help you:

• Do I treat others the way I want to be treated?
• Do I listen actively without interrupting?
• Do I acknowledge the contributions and achievements of others?
• How do I deal with mistakes and conflicting interests?
• What can I do differently today? For example, was I calmer in discussions today than yesterday?

In this way, you will become better and better step by step – as per the Kaizen principle—every day. (Read more here: Kaizen: forward in small steps)

What else can you do?

Would you like an external sparring partner to view your leadership issues from a different perspective?

Join the waitlist for our next leadership training or contact us now to schedule your personal “Business Dojo Coaching.”

We are happy to support you with 1:1 coaching in your review. Through targeted exercises from the Budo world, which focus on demeanor, communication, empathy, and mutual understanding, it becomes easier to address and demand respect and boost performance within the team.