How to Feel Safe and Stable While Staying Flexible Especially in times of change, it’s…
Confidence as a job booster vs. arrogance and insecurity
That’s how you make the better impression!
The lack of self-confidence can be a serious career obstacle. Rebekka and Anna got to realise it at some point and both decided to attend a Budo- self-assertiveness coaching, even though they had two completely different challenges. While Rebekka was often perceived as arrogant, Anna struggled with her insecurity. Both however were stuck and felt that they were not advancing in their career as they envisioned.
Our coaching method combines traditional Budo principles, emphasizes embodied practice, and operates on both cognitive and physical levels.
Arrogance and insecurity had been hindering Rebekka’s and Anna’s careers until they chose to follow the path of self-confidence. With the support of coaching, they now feel more comfortable with themselves and are better received and perceived as more competent in their professional environments.
Self-confidence is a crucial job enhancer.
A strong inner conviction and trust in one’s abilities form the foundation upon which we can tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Self-confidence empowers us to communicate effectively, take leadership roles, and act in a solution-oriented manner. It is the driving force that propels us towards achieving our goals.
But how did Rebekka and Anna reach this turning point?
Rebekka, who hid behind the arrogance mask
Rebekka was promoted about six months ago and leads a team of around 12 employees in a call center. She is very competent in her field but feels overwhelmed in her leadership role. She masks her inner insecurity with behavior that comes off as arrogant and loud.
– She struggles to organize and manage her tasks and those of her employees.
– She lacks communication skills as well as empathy and composure in everyday situations.
– She experiences a lot of stress but suppresses her physical sensations because she fears failure and judgment. She feels too much pressure and is involved in too many operational tasks. As a result, she often transfers the pressure unfiltered onto her employees, which undermines team morale.
In her case, her insecurity is disguised as arrogance.
Leaders like Rebekka, who aim to enact real change, must find a balance between personal needs and professional ambition.
Throughout the coaching process, Rebekka has come to realize that she must first be at peace with herself in order to be there for her team. Through Budo coaching, she has gained access to her own bodily intelligence, which now allows her to appear differently outwardly.
💡Think briefly about a personal situation in which you felt stressed. Perhaps your breathing was shallow, your shoulders tense, and your heartbeat faster. These are clear signals from your body. If you learn to recognize these signals early on, you can take targeted measures to calm yourself down and reduce stress.
Our body stores experiences, emotions, and memories. These can either support us or block us. By learning to recognize these signals and respond to them, we can achieve deeper and more sustainable changes.
Rebekka has understood that she needs to detach herself more from the operational business in order to better dedicate herself to her leadership tasks – and not just on the sidelines and in her free time. Her health is at stake, something she has long realized.
During our Coaching we covered these points in particular:
🎯 Recreating a sense of balance
Consciously managing energy improves productivity and enhances resilience to daily challenges.
It’s normal to feel out of balance occasionally. After all, we juggle many roles and responsibilities at work and at home. However, when instability becomes a regular part of life, it can damage both professional and personal growth.
🎯 Achieving Mental Clarity
Rebekka follows a specific patterns and exercise routine to free her mind from unnecessary noise and external stimuli, allowing her to be more present. As a result, she declutters her thoughts, leading to stronger focus on what is essential and better problem-solving.
🎯 Improving communication skills and outward perception
It’s not about what we say, but how we say it. A large part of our communication is nonverbal. Rebekka has worked on her body language, tone of voice, and especially her gait, significantly improving her interaction with her team.
In our practical-oriented trainings, communication skills are strengthened on all levels. As a result, Rebekka has learned to react more calmly, also in tense situations and to de-escalate. The benefit: less stress in her everyday life and for those she interacts with.
She has come to realize above all that true leadership does not stem from power and dominance. Arrogance is indeed a trap that has hindered her progress and wasted resources. She has shed certain pretentious behaviours and is ready to show herself with no masks; her new approach is starting to show positive effects also within the team..
The difference between self-confidence and arrogance is sometimes subtle: Self-confidence is like a calm river, meandering through challenges while firmly believing in finding solutions. Self-confidence listens, accepts feedback and views new perspectives as opportunities for growth. Arrogance, on the other hand, remains stubborn in its stance and refuses to learn from others. The fine line between self-confidence and arrogance determines whether we succeed, make a positive impression and garner sympathy.
Anna, who is easily intimidated
Anna was on the verge of quitting her job. She’s a graphic designer and loves her work, but she feels like she’s completely losing control of her emotions. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a change in leadership at her agency, and the new boss is intimidating to her. She finds him demanding, impatient and condescending; she feels paralyzed and nervous in conversation with him, her voice starts to tremble, which makes her boss even more impatient. In this state, she struggles to describe her projects and stand up for herself.
Not only her new boss, but she herself now doubts her competence, and she hardly dares to say anything in team meetings anymore.
However, before hastily resigning and changing jobs, she wants to try to save the situation. After all, she has already proven over the past two years, under different leadership in the same company, that she can perform well in her role.
After our coaching sessions, she now plans to implement the following strategies to improve her relationship with her supervisor and ease the working atmosphere:
🎯 Strengthen emotional resilience
Anna’s daily office routine is full of interruptions and challenges that greatly affect her emotional well-being. We have trained with practical exercises on how she can stay centered and build resilience in stressful situations through breathing and specific techniques.
In the presence of her supervisor, she tries to remain calm and composed. With the exercises, she has learned to control her emotions and maintain professionalism.
🎯 Setting boundaries
She has already proactively engaged in a clarifying conversation with her supervisor and was very satisfied with the results. She felt finally being taken seriously. Such a conversation is essential to clear up misunderstandings and build a better working relationship. Her supervisor was not aware of his impatience towards her. The open, well-prepared conversation and her clear, structured arguments led him to reconsider his behavior.
In preparation for the conversation, we practiced her body language, especially her (lack of) eye contact, as well as her voice, which is now less agitated.
🎯 Developing assertiveness
She still finds it difficult to assert herself, but with training, she can communicate more effectively: confidently, clearly, and calmly expressing her thoughts and beliefs, even if they do not always align with those of her supervisor. In conversation, she pays attention to her body language and is now amazed at how quickly positive changes are manifesting.
What has especially helped her:
- Through various exercises, Anna is currently strengthening her back muscles, and her posture is gradually improving. She is taking up her space and increasing her presence.
- She has incorporated movement sequences into her morning routine that combine breath, stretching, and concentration to stay focused and centered.
- When her mind is overwhelmed by negative memories, emotions, or intrusive thoughts, she has learned to return to the present moment, redirecting and regulating her feelings, for example, by distracting herself with visual stimuli or by taking a few deep, controlled breaths and focusing on the inhaling and exhaling air.
The body is an instrument that helps to understand the mental blockages and habits that govern our actions.
The body gives us access to stored programming and emotions. Gaining such insights, we can initiate changes and influence our mindset.
- The body always reacts first and gives us many signals. So, increasing our own body awareness is worth it..
- The body provides information about our state and tells if we are self-confident or not in any given situation: we portray what we feel, there is a correlation between posture and state of mind.
- Through the body we can also increase our attention, learn how to regulate our emotions with conscious breathing and movement.
What makes martial arts particularly interesting is the underlying, fundamental system and philosophy that goes beyond the purely physical aspect. Behind the body movements are values such as respectful behavior, honor, self-discipline, and indomitable spirit, which shape the character, strengthen the mind, and serve as guiding principles. Particularly in dealing with oneself, others, and the environment. This is the DO part, a path of self-development.
Who can participate in a Budo coaching?
Actually, everyone, regardless of fitness level or age. It’s not about learning a martial art, but experiencing and implementing impulses from martial arts. You can apply Budo-oriented approaches to professional and personal development goals. For example, if you want to strengthen your leadership skills and assertiveness to build self-confidence and convey a clear stance and determination.
Budo-Coaching can boost:
✅ your communication skills and your standing
✅ Increase your resilience
✅ strengthen your self-confidence
✅ find more balance by better managing your energy
However the following must be considered:
❌ Unrealistic expectations
Changes take time. Do not expect too much at once.
❌ Lack of open mind
Be ready to embrace new experiences and methods. Skepticism can hinder the process.
❌ Irregular practice
Continuity is crucial. Regular practice and application of the techniques learned in everyday life are necessary to achieve lasting changes.
❌ Missing trust
A good relationship with the coach is important. Trust and a positive relationship are fundamental to the success of any coaching.
Would you also feel you should strengthen your leadership skills and self-confidence?
Budo coaching offers you the opportunity to develop mental strength, inner peace and effective self-assertion using proven techniques from martial arts.
Curious? Get in touch