Leaders must earn the respect of those they lead. And even though bullies and some new supervisors think respect comes with their title, that’s never the case. They can demand respect and delude themselves into thinking they have it, but it is only an illusion. Because those being led will know that their leaders don’t respect them, that they don’t respect their leaders, and that the environment of disrespect will eat away at their self-esteem, morale, performance, and the quality of their work. That’s why parents teach their children to be respectful, why every religion preaches tolerance and respect, and why you should make respect – genuine, two-way respect, a cornerstone of your policies and culture. You might consider getting rid of all the other rules and policies in yo9ur handbook and replace them with The Golden Rule – to treat others the way you want them to treat you, and to respect others as you want them to respect you. Anything positive or negative about someone’s performance and behavior can be defined in those terms. And even if you don’t want to go that far, just start talking about respect with your team, show them respect, and ask for it in return. Start catching people being respectful today.
Paulo Coelho de Souza (born 1947): Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel The Alchemist became an international best-seller.
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