Essential Leadership Skills Learned From Martial Arts
Essential Leadership Skills You Can Learn From Martial Arts
Martial arts teach us discipline, focus and respect - all key skills for successful leaders.
Read on to find out how martial arts training could help you grow as a leader - on the mat or in the boardroom.
A man practises the ancient art of Shaolin Kung Fu
Once upon a time, the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, informed the world that great leaders are made, not born.
From this, we can see that the quintessential qualities of a great leader are created through training, dedication and learning.
One such way of training the essential skills of a leader is through the study and practice of different types of martial arts.
Many might look at martial arts training as a sport, hobby or method of physical combat, potentially looking at the type of belt a Karate practitioner wears for example. However, this barely scratches the surface of the skills obtained through the discipline of martial arts.
Great leaders use a combination of focus, commitment, practice and a positive attitude to achieve their own goals, enrich their social circle, encourage the best from their colleagues and make their community a better place.
Failure is not an option for these sorts of leaders. In fact, these optimistic athletes believe there’s no such thing as a loss, only an opportunity to learn.
Read about the essential skills needed by any leader - and how martial arts can teach us many important lessons.
The Quintessential Qualities of a Leader
Positive Mindset
Even on the worst of days, a great leader will look for potentially positive outcomes.
There’s no such thing as a loss, only an opportunity to learn a new, valuable lesson.
Realistic Mindset - Know When Enough is Enough!
A great leader understands when it’s time to press forward through adversity, or when it’s time to take a much-needed rest.
Fresh eyes equal a fresh perspective, and sometimes five minutes of rest can help refocus everyone in a challenging situation.
Perseverance and Commitment
Martial arts students are forged into great leaders because their training includes a focus on perseverance and commitment, not only to improve their performance but also their community.
These passionate individuals are successful in every area of their life, inspiring greatness within their family, friends and co-workers.
Sense of Humour
Through hard work, training and persistent improvement, martial arts students often grow into confident leaders because of their optimistic attitude and sense of humour.
Encourage the Best From Teammates
Students of martial arts have a laser-sharp focus on the future and often achieve a high level of success.
This sort of persistent growth is incredibly attractive and inspiring to teammates, co-workers and business partners.
Essential Leadership Skills to Learn From Martial Arts Training
Laser-sharp focus
Distraction is not an option when training as a student of martial arts.
A moment of distraction could result in a loss, injury or even something more dangerous. That sort of focus is beneficial on the mat and in the boardroom.
Self-Discipline and Consistency
Students of martial arts grow to be great leaders because they have trained in the trait of consistency. Constant and never-ending improvement only comes through a consistent effort from one day to the next.
Respect
Students of martial arts have a tendency to create a culture of excellence within every organisation that they lead.
This is because they are committed to encouraging greatness within their team, co-workers, family and community.
Steady and Constant Improvement
Leaders who began as martial arts students demonstrate a focus on steady and constant improvement. These folks never relax into a complacent attitude.
Instead, they are compelled to constantly learn and apply new knowledge for the improvement of their business or community-focused endeavours.
Radical Simplicity
Great leaders who have been trained in martial arts tend to keep their processes and practices incredibly simple.
These leaders want everyone within their organisation to feel confident and empowered, as any areas of business that are traditionally very challenging are made simple and efficient through good leadership.
Competitive
Studying martial arts often trains up a competitive attitude - a trait also shared by great leaders.
However, this isn’t a cruel or arrogant sort of competition. In particular, these individuals are in constant competition with themselves to continually grow and improve every single day.
Super-Fast Problem Solving
Martial arts students train all of their senses to the point where their entire body becomes a precision-driven machine capable of responding to not only the stimulus directly in front of them, but also behind and along the periphery.
This equates to rapid-fire problem-solving skills, often recognising (and stopping) a problem before it escalates into a serious issue.
Do Great Leaders Need to Study Martial Arts?
Studying martial arts is not an absolute prerequisite to becoming a great leader.
In fact, there are many different paths to becoming a great leader, and martial arts represent just one of the available options for rising leaders all over the world.
Even if your particular career field is focused on martial arts, and you’re looking to hire an effective partner, that individual could be just as successful having studied karate, jui-jitsu, Aikido or even tai chi.
When it comes to managing your martial arts studio effectively it’s essential to select an individual who possesses the quintessential qualities of a leader.
