7 Ways to Become a Respected Leader
You don’t need position when people respect you.
Respect amplifies leadership.
Leaders who aren’t respected, depend on position, power, authority, and control.
Respect and influence:
You have the most influence with those who respect you most.
If people respect you, serve them. The more others respect you, the more your service matters.
7 ways to become a respected leader:
- Make people feel good about themselves. Think how special they are, not how special you are. When people think you’re special, make them feel special.
- Make things better, not worse. Work to solve the issues you bring up. Children look to others for solutions. Big boys and girls take the bull by the horns.
- Reach out first. The greater the distance you bridge, the more power of influence you possess. If you have position, people may be reluctant to reach out to you. Reach out to them.
- Show tenderness while dealing with tough issues.
- Offer help without taking over. People don’t respect you when you help too soon and too much.
- Get your hands dirty. Embrace servant-leadership.
- Practice and honor behaviors that reflect shared values. People who value generosity don’t want to hear about what you’re doing for yourself, for example.
Bonus: Don’t ask for respect, extend it.
7 ways to earn respect if you’re new or young:
- Honor the work of those who came before you.
- Honor the work of those around you.
- Avoid gossip. Someone will give you the opportunity to badmouth others. Don’t take it.
- Make things better not worse. (#3 above.) You’re going to see things you don’t like. Every time you feel like complaining, make something better.
- Deliver great results.
- Do what you say. Apologize if you fall short and quickly make it right.
- Listen.
How might leaders earn respect?
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How might leaders, especially seasoned leaders, earn respect? By recognizing the gifts of those around them and actively seeking ways to empower others all the while being willing to take heat for them team when things don’t go as planned/desired, especially as emerging leaders are finding their stride and place.
Thanks Carmen. Powerful…. “recognizing the gifts of those around them….” I also get the feel of helping people find their place.
Great words that are action oriented to achieve Greatness for any organization.
Thanks Roy. Here’s to the journey!
Be the go-to person, for the people above you AND the people below you.
Great suggestion. Thanks!
Dan,
Outstanding post!
Leadership and arguably its most important its trait, respect, always has been and always will be about the people. I know I have said it/heard it many times – we earn respect and are not given it. Unless, as you say, “…depend on position, power, authority, and control” and then it is not so much leadership respect…but more respecting the position. Big difference in respect perspectives I say.
Thanks Dan.
As a new leader, our team sat down and made a list of core values that somewhat aligned with our companies missions statement (not as dry, however). It allowed me to understand what is truly important to the team.
1) Build a Fun and Trusted Environment
2) Create Fans Through Service
3) Family First
4) Focus on Results, Not Work\
5) Embrace Stewardship
6) Embrace Innovation
7) Be Thankful
I live by these 7 values everyday at work, and it has garnered a lot of respect and trust as from our team members.
Dan, in almost every one of your posts you give example of how “well done” is better than “well said.” A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, then events, and ultimately outcomes. We are our own catalyst–the spark that can create extraordinary results. With regard to respect, I don’t believe a leader consciously sets out to build respect: I think it’s the value of one’s actions that creates respect as a natural byproduct.
For example, imagine one of the roles of leader as teacher is to interface with staff: To build skills, remediate weak areas, learn about learning processes, develop autonomy and self-reliance, increase motivation, recognize and reinforce strengths, increase confidence, and feel good about their contributions and themselves.
And for struggling staff members, the surface goal is to help them improve skills. The over-arching vision is to guide and support staff members to become effective and autonomous…to understand and deal with his or her own strengths and quirks…to grow their reasoning abilities, enjoy themselves as good thinkers–and fulfilled, active, sensitive members of the organization.
Whichever leader invests the time and effort in doing any semblance of this, gains respect…not as reward, but as honor.
Dan,
As always, pithy and powerful! Your 7 ways to earn respect if new or young? I think they apply equally well to anyone.
Thanks!