Treating everyone with respect is fundamental to any relationship and managers often struggle with this. It is hard to expect an employee to give their best work when they do not feel respected. managers must make this a part of their essentials to earn the trust of their employees and get them to perform to their best. here are a few tips.
Behaviours that get the most respect.
Value diversity:
Leaders must work hard to take on board members with diverse backgrounds, check their biases and ensure that they are open to diverse ideas. Many leaders go through the motions and assume that they treat everyone equally thereby overrating their skills in this area.
Be aware and in touch with the concerns of individuals.
You may not become a friend of your employees but you must become familiar enough to earn their respect. Ensure that you learn about the employees, especially their concerns. Convey that you are always available for employees to share their deep concerns. Stay in touch with your employees, find out how they are doing and reiterate your promise to support them in times of need. Staying in touch indicates respect for the individual.
Be trusted.
Even if one person in your team distrusts you then it affects the team’s perception about you significantly. Negative feelings or opinions are highly contagious and can spread fast. Trust in each other is strengthened by positive relationships, sharing knowledge and being consistent in your behaviour.
Resolve conflicts.
Conflicts among members can drain the energy of the team and become a source of lingering frustration that could lead to disrespect. Too often team leaders notice the conflicts but leave it to the members to resolve the conflicts amongst themselves but may not be consistent in this approach. Selective intervention conveys respect for some members but may also indicate a lack of respect for others. Conflicts within a team are like small fires that should be resolved early else this can create significant damage if allowed to persist or linger. Leaders need to resolve conflicts quickly and effectively. A good leader should willingly intervene in resolving conflicts.
Balancing results with concerns for others.
When team leaders prioritise results over concern over others, people feel disrespected and their impact on team member satisfaction and engagement would be significant.
Leaders should find the optimum balance between getting results and managing the concerns of their team members. Team leaders should establish a culture that establishes a better work-life balance. Culture is established through people processes, commitments and accountability over who you add to the team and whom you reward.
Encourage open discussions.
The simplest way of establishing respect for people is to ask for their opinions. But at the same time, leaders must be ready to listen and discuss. When a leader is ready to listen to different perspectives and discuss the problems that affect the team and its members, they indicate that they value their team members. You need not think that a particular issue is important but you should genuinely learn to ask questions and listen to convey respect. Leaders must be ready to listen to differing perspectives.
Give honest feedback.
Honest feedback delivered respectfully helps make people respected. it should reflect the performance of the team members. They should ensure that their negative feedback is balanced by positive feedback also as otherwise people may feel disrespected.
Respect may mean different things to different people and it may be interpreted by the people in different ways. what matters most to employees and find authentic ways to do the same. Great leaders make conscious efforts to show respect for their employees.
7 Ways to Make Employees Feel Respected, According to Research
by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman
HBR 2023/06
R2G 