How Leaders Earn Respect
True leaders earn admiration and respect; they do not demand it. This means people put their trust in leaders because they come across as honest and worthy. Here is what you can do to earn respect from your subordinates:
Try persuasion; not manipulation
“My idea of a good company is the company of clever, well informed people who have a great deal of conversation.” – Anne Elliot
Influence is effective persuasion which requires people to become part of your goals. Persuasion simply means that you display your brand in the best way possible. There is no lying or intimidation involved. You convince people with factual information; everything you say is backed by facts.
Manipulation involves exploiting people by lying so that you can achieve your goals. A manipulator is great at distorting facts and he does not care about interests of other people involved in the process.
Lead by example
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Do not live a life of double standards by not doing what you preach. We all know flashy business leaders who are awesome with words but fail to live by their own values. A good example is of a leader who propagates an open door policy but is never available to listen to problems of his staff members.
When a rainy month starts, great leaders roll up their sleeves and take responsibility of their actions. They avoid blaming staff members when something goes wrong; they know that acting defensive sabotages growth. They inculcate an atmosphere where people are encouraged to develop their strengths.
Use “we” more often
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb
To decrease the chances of becoming a self-centered organization, you need to make others feel like they are part of the team. Replace “I believe” into “We believe,” “I feel” into “We feel.”
When celebrating accomplishments, a leader highlights all of his team members; this keeps the morale of the team up and sets an example for other leaders in the organization.
Listen more in meetings
“One of the most important forms of respect in listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H.McGill
Instead of trying to look superior and well-informed than everyone else, you need to listen carefully to team members and ask open ended questions. You are here to assist people with their goals, not to force your ideas upon them. Be a real person who respects everyone from the shareholders to the door men.
Backup your opinions
“You have to listen to negative and positive opinions before making a decision.” – Carlos Ghosn
All leaders love voicing their opinions on business matters. The only way to influence and capture attention is to support your opinion with facts and reasoning. Courageous leaders are not afraid of admitting that they do not know something; they extract information through open ended questions.
Act like a real person
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice, compassion.” – unkown
Don’t forget to dole out the human touch in everything you do. Being visible and managing a professional image all the time is counter-productive. Going to the right clubs and community programs is just your persona, not the person inside you.
People admire leaders who share their problems with subordinates (in moderation) and who take interest in their lives.
We have only mentioned a few characteristics of great leaders; to further assess your leadership style, try leadership quiz by Peter Drucker (http://goo.gl/VBs9mU).
