LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
... equipping leaders with tools, skills, and weapons to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission

Monday, March 13, 2017

TITLE : REL 101 : THE LAW OF RESPECT 11

“Show proper respect to everyone.” (1 Peter 2:17a NIV)

How to Gain Others' Respect?

Hello dear reader, thanks for joining me once again today. It's been a while.. Hope you're good?

Have you ever met someone who was rude to you and didn’t hold you with much regard? How did you feel? Did you feel annoyed? Peeved?
If you are a self respecting individual or honorable person, chances are you want others to treat you with respect. And you know what, age isn’t a prerequisite nor is it a magic key to gaining respect. I’ve seen plenty of people who are young be highly respected from their elders. I’ve also come across older people who I’d never respect because their actions are so out of line. It’s about how you conduct yourself, your attitudes towards others and your actions.

Regardless of whether you are a teenager, a student, a new member in your team/company, or someone starting out in the industry, you can be well respected by others. In this post, I share more important ways on how you can be a well respected person.

1. Be good at what you do

In every field of work, the most highly regarded people are those who are the best at what they do. Everyone loves competent people, especially those who present their best work all the time. People don't respect mediocrity. If you’re just starting out in your profession, that doesn’t mean you’re not deserving of respect. It’s about starting small and building from there.

When I started my personal development and leadership blogs and speaking about four years ago, no one knew me. Of my early audience, I remember some people would discount my work because of my age, saying I had no experience and shouldn’t writing on such topics. Such comments are normal since they didn’t know who I was, just my age and my brief background. Rather than letting these stop me, I built my reputation, one step at a time, via producing the better content and planting seeds everywhere. Today I've earned more respect than when I started. Over time, people began to register the value I was providing and they developed respect for what I was doing. Today, I have many and that’s because they recognize my abilities and what I have to offer.

2. Honor what you say

No one respect a dishonest or unreliable person. A well respected individual is one who is honest in his/her communications and can be trusted to do what he/she promised. I believe integrity is the first step to being our highest self. I always ensure I live up to my commitments and deliver beyond what I promise. If due to some reason you can’t honor your commitments, make sure you address them accordingly to the other party and make up for it.

3. Be open to criticisms

Contrary to popular belief, being respected doesn’t mean you won’t receive criticism. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The more known you are in your work, the more criticisms you’ll receive. My blog readership has grown over 4 times in the last 6 months. Just as I’ve received a lot more positive feedback than before on my posts, I’m also receiving more criticisms. It’s not about rejecting criticisms but about being able to handle criticisms gracefully. People respect someone who is able to handle negative feedback and turn it into something positive.

4. Conduct yourself professionally

This includes dressing well, being well-mannered, using appropriate language and having social etiquette. If you haven’t attended a social etiquette class before, it’ll be useful to do so. Even if you intuitively know what they teach in the class, it’s great as reinforcement.

5. Don’t bad mouth others

Whether it’s in a professional or social setting, it’s not appropriate to bad mouth people. You certainly don’t earn respect this way. If you’re unhappy with a certain individual and what he/she is doing, talk to him/her and work things out. Don’t talk behind his/her back. This is the kind of behavior that attracts gossip and negativity. Not only does it reflect badly on you as a person, it also hurts the other party, whether you realize it or not. Be honest and transparent in your communications.

6. Be a role model to others

Actions or attitude speak louder than words. Are you a role model to others by way of your behavior? Do you uphold yourself to the highest code of conduct? You gain respect by walking the talk. The most respected person is the one who inspires others to achieve their best and enables them to unlock their highest potential.

Do you have any personal experiences on how to cultivate respect from others? Feel free to share in the comments area.