R – E – S – P – E – C – T. Everyone wants it; not everyone gets it. Great Leaders know that respect is not handed out as an entitlement. It must be earned. So how do they go about earning it?
They take responsibility rather than delegate blame – Great Leaders take responsibility when things don’t go according to plan. Rather than delegate the blame to a subordinate, Great Leaders step up and say, “As the leader of this team, the responsibility is all mine.” Great Leaders recognize and accept that they are held accountable for results.
They give credit for success to the team – Great Leaders know that they accomplish little by themselves. While the weak leader will point to the successful completion of a project and say, “Look what I did!”, the Great Leader points to the team and says, “Look what you accomplished! You are the greatest!”
They listen – While the Great Leader knows that he or she is ultimately responsible for making decisions, the Great Leader takes the time to seek out and truly listen to the opinions of team members. Only after listening and hearing everyone’s input, the Great Leader makes the decision that he or she believes is in the best interest of all concerned.
They follow up – Great Leaders don’t just delegate tasks, they monitor progress, ask what tools or resources are required and obtain them. The person to whom the task was delegated knows that it’s not busy work; that outcomes are desired and that the Great Leader is there to help them obtain the desired outcome.
They “walk the talk” – Great Leaders lead by example. They never ask more of their followers than they would be willing to do themselves. They “practice what they preach” and display the same behaviors that they expect from others.
Great Leaders know that respect must be earned every day and their actions will be closely scrutinized by their teams, their followers, to determine if they’ve earned it … every day.
Do you have an example of how a Great Leader has earned your respect? Comment here and share it, please.
Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com