“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
– Dale Carnegie
Hello Leaders! Have you ever wondered how you can boost the level of respect within your team or organization?
Well, this past week I started doing a weekly theme on my daily 5-minute leadership podcast (Run To Your Challenges), and I talked about respect; specifically, how leaders give it, get it, and earn it.
Building respect in this day and age can seem like a daunting task at times, as it seems like you can offend somebody as easy as it is to breathe.
So, let’s face it, leaders have a ton of conversations throughout their day, and there’s probably no easier way to start building the level of respect within your team than by having quality conversations. However, before you can get to the “quality conversations,” you need to start with small conversations.
Leaders are in a perfect position to capitalize on conversations. Think about it, when you (as a leader) starts a conversation, your team members almost have to listen and reply, right? I mean if they don’t, they risk looking bad or being disrespectful in front of their leader.
Of course, leaders should always refrain from being nasty, bossy, and impolite. Leaders set the tone for their team member’s conversations; if the leader is initiating respectful conversations, most of the team members will follow their lead. The leader ultimately sets the acceptable guidelines through the conversations they have.
Naturally, conversations can be initiated by anyone, but there’s just something extra special when the leader initiates conversations in the workplace by guiding discussions that involve everyone on the team.
When all team members are a part of a conversation with their leader, they begin to feel more appreciated and respected, especially when the conversation occurs in their workspace. They understand their leader cares enough to talk to them and involve them and approach them at their level; in their environment.
Talking about having conversations on “their level” think of all the possibilities that social media offers to enhance your team’s conversations. And yes, you can use social media in a respectful manner; again, the leader has an opportunity to set the tone and lead the way!
Now, from an opposite viewpoint, leaders who talk down to their team members or talk over them can lose respect quickly and may have an extremely difficult time gaining any kind of respect back. These leaders set the tone for a toxic environment, as the conversations can turn ugly.
So how about you? Are you being respectful through your conversations? Is your voice tone welcoming and respectful, or is it the sound that your team members hear and want to run from?
Are you initiating quality conversations by asking great questions and guiding discussions that involve everyone on your team?
As mentioned earlier, with all the technology that’s available today, it’s easier than ever to involve all your team members in a meaningful quality conversation… online! People may be more encouraged to participate in an online conversation, and the cool thing is that online conversations have a tendency to carry over into the workspace.
Well, I hope you consider the challenge of building the level of respect one worth running to this week, and if you do, start by initiating those small conversations that have the potential to turn into quality conversations over time. Respect can ignite from a small conversation that you start.
As always, Run To Your Challenges!
Run to Your Challenges… to Achieve Greatness & Stand Out Among Leaders!
For more Leadership blogs and to listen to Run To Your Challenges, the 5-min daily Leadership Podcast, go to RuntoyourChallenges.com You can also listen on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRADIO, Stitcher, and Alexa.
Have Paul speak or train at your organization by contacting him directly at [email protected]
Originally published at www.currentleadershipcoaching.com