What you want
Honey you’ve got it
And what you need
Baby you’ve got it
All I’m asking
Is for a little respect when I come home
Respect is what I want
Respect is what I need
Respect is what I want
Respect is what I need
~ Tina Turner
Everyone wants respect. Whether it is in a professional or a personal setting, we want respect. We want to be respected by our family and our peers. In the professional setting a person feels they should be respected because of their position, but that it is not always the case. In a family, it is a little different, because the structure is different. A family structure has the authority of the parents, but that still does not mean that it carries respect.
Respect is earned it is not given or declared. You cannot legislate or dictate respect. To earn it takes time and patience. Note the things mentioned below:
Longevity– Patience truly is a virtue. It comes with experience and time. Many people are quitters because they do not want to do the hard things. It is easier to quit and start over than it is to stay at the same place through the ups and downs. Every time you want to quit, stop and look around at those who have. It will give clarity to your decision. Longevity is a one of the key building blocks to help you build respect.
Consistency– Longevity is a result of consistency. If respect is earned, and it is, it comes by learning to staying at it no matter what. Every time someone needs you, you are there. When others are inconsistent, you are there. Those around you, above you, and beneath you, will soon sense a reassurance that they can count on you. If your team values your consistency, it will be accompanied by their respect.
Productivity– No one likes a quitter, and no one likes a lazy person. You may be slower than others, you may lack creativity, but if you are a hard worker you will earn respect. Consistent hard work will produce respect every time. Some people are fast to start but cannot finish. Inconsistency kills productivity and ultimately, success and respect. Remember the tortoise and the hare? It doesn’t matter how fast you start, it only matters that how you cross the finish line. Stay at it and soon you will look back and see a string of successes, and that breeds respect.
Seniority– This thought builds on the last point. As a leader your respect level rises through seniority that is natural, not demanded. One older gentleman approaching 100 years old was asked how he had handled all the people who had given him trouble through the years. His answer was, “I outlived all of them.” If you are not a quitter, over time you will realize that you have become the senior in the room, sitting in a place of respect.
Credibility– Obviously, nothing I have mentioned will bring respect without credibility. Credibility comes through proving yourself. I think of things like honesty and integrity. Just because you have been around longer than everyone else does not mean you have credibility. You have to shine when it is the darkest. You have to work when it is the hardest. You have to do right when everyone else is doing wrong. Credibility is the white elephant in the room. It is not something you talk about, but it is something everyone knows is there.
Do these things and you may get a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T!