Respect is a crucial factor in the career and business world, and we all want respect in our professional lives. Not only does it boost our self-confidence, it can also satisfy our second-highest (of Maslow’s famed hierarchy) of needs: esteem. Gaining the respect of others in the workplace is something most people desire, but often have misguided ideas of how to achieve it.
However, there are some simple strategies and tips that provide insights into the process of earning and keeping respect.
- Treat everyone with respect
You can’t possibly expect people to treat you well if you treat them badly. This goes without limits, meaning you should respect everyone — from the highest positions right down to the lowest. And even when you are not getting respect from others – perhaps if you make a mistake and are backlash for it — show them you still respect them by owning up to your mistake and not treating them any differently or with less respect. That makes you somebody to be respected, and can often change their attitude towards tou.
- Help somebody
As with point 1, do to others what you would want to be done to you – in this case, help others. We all know the feeling of getting overwhelmed from the mountains of tasks from our work. We wish there was someone else that could help us doing our work. Helping a colleague with their work will be highly appreciated and can go a long way in building respect… not just from that colleague, but also from others who will note you being helpful.
- Own up to your mistakes…
Sometimes, our egos and the pressure from being perfect at work make us want to be seen flawless and incapable of making mistakes. But even in most polished professional life, nobody is perfect and everyone can still make a mistake. This is what makes us human, they say. However, what differentiates some of us from others is whether we are humble enough to admit to our faults. It can be one of the hardest things to do, but it can also earn you the highest points of respect.
- …And then explain how you’re going to fix them
One of my favourite sayings in life is, it is okay to have a problem, but it is never okay to not have a solution. Problems are inevitable, especially at work. But it is finding potential solutions that will take your respect to the next level.
- Remember things about people
Remembering certain things about our co-workers and things that are happening in our workplace show that we care about them and the business, which makes them also care about us and our needs. Okay, some of us will have trouble remembering everything – so keep notes. If somebody mentions their partner or children by name, or even a hobby, make a note of that on their listing in your contacts address book. Many an email or phone request has been prioritized because the asker started it with an inquiry about something as simple as whether the person on the other end managed to go cycling on the weekend.
- Anticipate needs
It is often a competition in the professional life – who can go the furthest and be the fastest. Thus, it is such an important job to be able to plan ahead, do things quickly, save time, and satisfy future needs. This will make others’ lives so much easier and lighter.
- Have an opinion
[tweet_quote hashtags=”#respect” ]Everyone has an opinion about things[/tweet_quote], but often we fail to communicate it appropriately. Having an opinion about a decision or an issue and actually communicating it in the right manner will give the impression that you care about that decision/issue and will earn respect from your colleagues.
- Never waste anyone’s time
It seems that we increasingly get less time to do the things we need to do. So, never waste anyone’s precious time. If you don’t need to discuss things, don’t plan unecessary meetings with your co-workers. If everybody is busy, don’t try to start conversations about what was on TV last night. This doesn’t mean don’t be communicative and friendly – just keep it to the minimum.
- Become a stellar public speaker
[tweet_quote hashtags=”#success” ]Communication is one of the keys of success[/tweet_quote] and being an excellent communicator will not only smooth your way up to success, it will also help you in gaining respect from people, as they see you as someone with potential and actively social. Research how to improve your speaking, take a course, note what other good speakers do – you’ll soon pick up valuable skills.
- Learn your colleagues’ working preferences – and follow them
In life, we need to adapt to situations and adjust to people to get ahead. Getting ahead requires validation and permissions from people, which require them to respect us. Thus, it really helps if we can learn to do things according to our co-workers’ working preferences. If our junior employee is more comfortable in following step-by-step directions and guidance, do so. If our boss prefer email notifications rather than verbal ones, then maybe it is better to send him emails instead of knocking on his door to speak with him.
- Don’t complain
At a professional workplace, it is better to show that we are there to help as much as possible. Often, we don’t realise that we can fall into the trap of complaining when workloads begin to pile up or when we get stuck doing things that bore us. Complaining shows a negative attitude and can make people think less of you. On the other hand, being active in finding solutions and being energetic in the middle of a busy workload will prove we have a good work ethic and earn us respect.
