How to Be a Leader Who Earns Respect from Colleagues
Respect is critical if a workplace is to function effectively. When your team respects you, they will go above and beyond what you expect of them. If they don’t respect you, you will battle to lead them.
When you’ve recently been promoted into a leadership position, respect does not come automatically. Respect does not come from your position on the organizational chart. Your employees are watching you carefully to see how you will lead and you have to earn their respect.
Don’t act like you know everything
When you’re in a new leadership position, don’t act as if you know everything. You’ll immediately lose respect if you have the attitude that you don’t have anything to learn. Be prepared to listen and learn from your employees. Find out how things are currently being done before you try to make all kinds of changes.
Set the standard
Be a great role model of reliability and trustworthiness. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Your work ethic will have tangible outcomes and influence the performance of your team. Don’t just play the part of a leader on the outside but show your substance on the inside.
Encourage Feedback
Just saying you have an open-door policy is not enough. You have to take steps to actively pursue and encourage feedback. Schedule time on your calendar to discuss how things are going.
You need to be able to admit when you’re wrong. As a leader, you may have to make some difficult decisions, and they may not all work out. Being open to feedback allows you to make on-course corrections when you receive feedback that something is not working as it should.
Be transparent
If your intentions are unknown, this is likely to create suspicion and anxiety. You need to share your vision and your goals as honestly as possible. This is particularly important when starting a new project.
Help employees to understand what has motivated your decisions, so they don’t just draw their own conclusions. A leader who is authentic makes others feel as though they matter and welcomes constructive dialogue.
Correct employees in private
If you want to correct an employee, you should never do it in front of colleagues. This is a conversation that should take place behind closed doors. Hold your tongue until you have that privacy, even if your patience is being sorely tested. You want any criticism to be constructive, rather than destructive.
Tell employees what to do, not how to do it
If you try to micromanage your employees, you take away their job satisfaction. Allowing them to co-create the future keeps them engaged and motivated. They will not learn to trust you if you don’t learn to let go.
When you have your hand in every pie, they will feel you don’t trust them to do the work. Spell out your expectations and then step back and allow them to shine. Highly respected leaders are able to see talent and do everything they can to refine it.
