Respect and Leadership Information
Leaders Must Gain Respect
A great leader will have the respect of those around them. That respect must be earned. To attain respect, one must cultivate traits that are admired by others. For example, people admire those that are beautiful, well spoken, and intelligent. There are other traits that are frowned upon. For example, laziness, ineptitude, spacey, and weird are all traits that people do not admire.
Respect by Money
Many people automatically respect money. For example, people automatically respect those with a Mercedes more than they do those that drive a Hyundai. It doesn't matter who has the most money in the bank. People will naturally follow those that drive the best cars, dress the best, and live in the nicest homes. It may seem superficial, but it is a fact of life. People will respect you or look down on you based on what you own. As Jimmy Carter once said, “It is a danger in our society that people are respected more for what they own and less for what they do.” Most people realize it isn't exactly moral, but it is part of society.
Societal Norms and Rules
You will get much more respect by following the rules of society. For example, if you do not wear the right clothing to an event, people will think less of you. In another example, you could do obscene things in public and receive much disrespect. People have decided in their own minds what a respectable person is. Then, if you want respect, it is up to you to live up to their expectations. If you do not wish to play along these lines, you will not get the respect you deserve. Some people think that others should just look at their heart and see the good. This sounds nice, but in real life it is mostly a pipedream.
Leadership through Respect
Once you get respect, you can get people to follow you. People realize that you are the good guy to go to. They see that you will get things done and that they will be done right. The way to maintain respect is to be strict, with subordinates, and also fair. Many leaders get trapped by thinking that their position makes them invulnerable. When, in reality, the subordinates will scrutinize the behavior and anything that is unfair will bring mutiny.
Finally, leadership and respect go together. A great leader must have respect and then an idea on how to lead. The best leaders know how to shift their leadership styles. Employees that feel valued, empowered, and loved will perform at a much higher level. Most corporations of today simply follow the coercive style of management. This style is not very effective, when used as the primary motivational tool. The reason for this style of management is because it is easy to implement.
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