Would
you rather be beautiful/handsome, or have respect? That is a question Steve Jobs would ask
perspective employees early in his career. The fact is, you do have to earn respect. It is not simply a natural
attribute, so how do you earn it?
Steps to
Earning Coworkers’ Respect
1. be honest. People will respect someone that is honest and does
not come across as untrusting.
not come across as untrusting.
2. Defend yourself when necessary. No, you do not need to meet the world with an
attitude ready to argue your case with everyone. You should, however, stand up for yourself
when necessary. If someone points a
finger at you, and you know it is unjustified, speak up. If possible, make it one on one, and let them
know that not only are they blaming the wrong person, but also that you do not
appreciate the accusation.Then of
course, move past it.
3. Your opinion matters more than you
know. This is a big one, and will earn
you respect quickly. When asked your
thoughts and opinion, give it. The
person asking may not agree with you, and they may hope you say something else,
but be honest, and do what they asked, offer your opinion.
4. Speak up when you feel strongly about
something. If one person comes up with a
way of doing things, and you have an alternative way you believe would be
better, share your thoughts. You may not
win out, but speaking up will earn you the respect you deserve.
5. Maintain professionalism at all times when
working. Always be on your best behavior
at work. You are being paid to be a
professional, and that is what you should stick to.
Losing Respect
Of
course, if someone can earn respect, they can lose it as well.
- A very quick way to lose respect is to be
indecisive. “Whatever you think”, or “it
does not matter to me, I don't care”. It
may seem like you are going along with the crowd, and being easy to get along
with, but it actually bothers most people. They want to know, they want an answer.
- Building yourself up is a very bad habit
to get into. Your position and
credentials should speak for themselves. People that brag continuously lose credibility and others will try to
avoid them or at least not take them seriously.
- Do not ever gossip and discuss other
coworkers in a negative way. You have to
assume when someone discusses coworkers in a bad light, they will do the same
to you when you are not around. This
behavior will earn you the reputation of being a pot stirrer.
It
is not that difficult to earn the respect of others. Just be yourself, and don't be just part of
the crowd when asked a question. One CEO
of a new medical facility had to select one nurse out of 40 to be head
nurse. He gave a little test to
everyone, and then separated them by groups. Ironically, people adjusted their answers to join the larger groups,
however, one nurse stood true to her answer. She stood alone while there were 2 groups full of all others. The CEO walked over to the nurse standing
alone, and appointed her head nurse, he knew he made the right decision, and in
fact he did, she did an excellent job.
Speaking
your mind and voicing your opinion may make you a few enemies at first, but
eventually they will turn that into respect. They may not be your best friend,
but they will respect you. As a head of
nursing can put it: You may not like me, but you will respect me.
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