Seventh Level: Leadership and Responsibility
- Teaching responsibility - Actively develop others through instruction
- System contribution - Help evolve and refine AKBAN's training methods
- Ethical leadership - Model the highest standards in all interactions
- Community building - Take ownership of the art's growth and preservation
From Participant to Steward
The Seventh Level represents the transition from being served to serving. After years of consistent dojo participation at Sixth Level, one is ready to take active responsibility for AKBAN's development and the growth of future practitioners.
This isn't about recognition or status—it's about stepping up when the responsibility is needed. One becomes a guardian of the system's integrity while helping it evolve.
Leadership in Action
Active Teaching: leading classes, mentoring individuals, or contributing to AKBAN's intellectual framework through the Think Tank.
Continuous Mastery: The technical skills continue evolving, not for personal achievement but as a foundation for effective teaching. The seventh level is a model of learning.
Ethical Excellence: Highest standards both in training and daily life. An example of what the art and community can develop in a person.
Community Stewardship: Ownership of the training environment, organizing events, resolving conflicts inside the community, and ensuring newcomers feel welcomed and supported.
Clear Communication: The ability to explain complex concepts simply, give constructive feedback effectively, and facilitate difficult conversations when needed.
Emotional Leadership: Promoting and teaching AKBAN's emotion regulation system, helping create a training environment that reduces violence and builds psychological resilience.
Earned Daily, Not Once
Like the Sixth Level, the Seventh Level is transient and must be maintained through ongoing contribution. Stepping back from active leadership naturally means returning to Sixth level.
Leadership requires present engagement, not past achievement. The art and community need active stewards, not honorary titles.
Containing differences of opinion
Taking responsibility
Seventh Level is about being able to carry more than one's weight