Being an effective, successful business leader in today’s world can mean a lot of different things. Chief among them is the ability to earn the respect of your team. Having their respect ensures that they will look up to you, listen to you, and look to you for guidance. But at Technalink, we’ve seen that many business leaders confuse respect with fear or intimidation. You can’t afford to make this mistake, and it’s vital that you understand how to get the respect of your employees without resorting to intimidation or fear.
In short, you need a simple path that will help you achieve this basic goal. Luckily, it’s not that difficult to do. A few things are all you need to keep in mind when trying to earn more respect from your team.
- First, understand that being a compassionate leader can have a big impact on the respect of your team. Leading through fear means that every missed day of work or mistake on the clock is punished. A compassionate leader understands that mistakes happen and things come up, and when you lead in this way employees realize that you empathize with them and that you care about their wellbeing. That can help earn you their respect in a big way.
- Leaders also need to be able to admit when they’re wrong and not try to pass blame to others. When you can accept responsibility for your actions and your employees see it, they begin to respect you more thanks to your honesty and your willingness to shoulder the responsibility for your actions. Trying to shift blame to others only breeds resentment among your team, not respect.
- Giving credit is also important. If your team works hard, honor them for it. If someone has a great idea, don’t try to take all the credit for it. Give credit where it’s deserved and you’ll notice much more respect coming your way.
The key thing to remember is this: respect is earned, not just given to anyone. From being a compassionate leader to showing employees that you can give them the credit for their performance and ideas, little things can be just as important as major ones when you’re trying to gain the respect of your team. Keep that in mind, and you’ll see a big change in your workplace and your bottom line.
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