The 48 Laws of Power · law 34 of 48
34. Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One
bearing
The principle
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated. Demand more from yourself — your demeanour, your standards — and others will treat you accordingly.
The application
Status is partly a self-fulfilling prophecy. Carry yourself like the role you intend to occupy and the room recalibrates around you. Carry yourself like the role you currently hold and you will hold it forever.
The defensive tell — how to spot it being run on you
When someone occupies a room as if they outrank everyone in it without ever saying so, they are following this law. Either learn the same posture or notice that you keep deferring to people whose actual authority is no greater than yours.