Do You Deserve Respect?
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Not everyone deserves to be respected. Since your words and actions tell others who you are and what you are, it is your words and actions by which you will be judged. Only those of you who are judged to be worthy of respect can receive it. If you want to know whether you are likely to be respected by others, ask yourself these questions:

- Are you seen as being honest?
- Do others trust you?
- Do people follow your lead and support goals?
- Are you known for your integrity?
- Do you do what you say you will do when you say you will do it?
- Do you stand up for what is right?
- Do you make good things happen, even under difficult circumstances?
- Do you often put others first?

To a large degree, trust and performance are at the foundation of respect. When others trust you and see that you perform at a high level, they will honor you with their respect. However, when others do not trust you or your performance is questionable, they will not follow you, support you or respect you.

If you are going to be successful, you most both give and receive respect. When you are in a leadership role, you cannot command or demand respect. You must earn it. Think about this. Would you follow someone you did not trust or respect? Even if you agreed with the goal or objective or respected the office or position the person held, you probably would not follow that person for very long. You would most likely look for someone else to follow, someone you could trust and respect.

People usually show respect for a person’s:

- Positive personal qualities
- Abilities
- Accomplishments
- Leadership skills

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Therefore, if you would like to be respected by others, you should demonstrate your respect for other people first. Start by showing them that you are a person of character. You earn the respect of others by:

- Setting a good example
- Performing at a high level
- Proving that you can be trusted
- Spending time with those you care about
- Teaching and developing them
- Adding value to their lives
- Offering encouragement
- Helping them achieve their goals
- Trying to make them winners
- Showing them loyalty
- Being there for them when they need help
- Looking for and finding the good in them
- Giving them sincere compliments
- Making it clear that their feelings are important
- Respecting their personal preferences
- Valuing their opinions
- Recognizing and appreciating their contributions
- Giving them the benefit of the doubt
- Listening to their concerns, ideas and dreams
- Demonstrating a positive attitude
- Allowing the person to lead you
- Making sound decisions
- Admitting Mistakes

Being disrespectful to others is the fastest way to have others lose respect for you. You are disrespectful when you:

- Fail to listen to someone
- Interrupt them
- Make fun of them
- Belittle them
- Make disparaging remarks
- Question their abilities
- Talk behind their back
- Ignore their comments and wishes
- Dismiss their opinions without consideration
- Talk over someone
- Leave before they have finished
- Share amused glances with your friends
- Put them down simply to make them look bad
- Question every word, comment or action
- Minimize their contributions
- Avoid them
- Demonstrate uncontrollable anger
- Utilize vicious sarcasm
- Undermine them
- Look only for the negatives or the downside

Respect is necessary asset for anyone who intends to be successful. Even your most outstanding abilities and accomplishments will be ignored or minimized when you show others that you cannot be trusted and do not deserve their respect.