One of five key obstacles to getting the team an organization needs to deliver exceptional results is leaders that are not respected.
Lack of respected leaders means people are at risk of leaving or (worse) staying and not giving their best.
Respected leaders are an essential part of sustainable success.
Two questions that leaders should be asking themselves:
- Am I conducting myself in a way that earns respect with my team?
- Are my team leaders conducting themselves in a way that that earns them respect from their teams?
You need respected leaders at every level.
But keep in mind this is not a popularity contest. Don’t confuse being liked with respect. Don’t try and earn acceptance.
Having coached hundreds of leaders and teams here are a few things I would suggest that will help in maintaining or earning respect.
- Demonstrate respect to others as individuals by showing you value their ideas, efforts, and initiatives.
- Conduct yourself at the highest level, setting the tone, pace, example, and standard of what success looks like.
- Clearly communicate expectations and desired outcomes
- Use words that reflect excellence like exceptional, commitment, and discipline.
- Never talk negatively about others behind their backs
- Take ownership for the failures and share successes.
- Bring the energy up, don’t bring it down.
- Stay steady and not overly emotional.
Every leader will recognize the value of respect, but sometimes it is easy to slide into wanting to be liked. Merely being liked is like being merely competitive – it will not work for a successful organization.
You need respected leaders at every level of the organization. Start with you and then move to your team.
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