Aug
12
2011
Getting Your Employees’ Respect And Admiration
Author: adminOne would assume that just because a person is in a pretty high position at work, that means he or she automatically has the respect and admiration of his or her employees or colleagues. While it can certainly be an impressive thing to hear, particularly if that person rose to a high rank within a few short years or if he or she is the youngest person ever to have held that post, that kind of admiration doesn’t always last, and what is important is to be able to retain a healthy level of respect. Now even if you’re not holding a very high and prestigious position at work, but are still in charge of a number of people, it is still definitely important to ensure that you are someone that your employees look up to, whether by taking a leadership development course or by making key changes in your approach.
For the most part, people would not be all that willing to follow someone who isn’t, well, better than they are. A leader has to be someone who’s very skilled in many different aspects, after all, and must not have inferior skills or knowledge–how can employees trust you to take them down the right direction if you don’t know the right steps that will lead you there? One way for you to ensure that your employees respect you is by being knowledgeable. It’s not enough that you are knowledgeable about your position and what you do. You should also know a lot about the industry and the work that your employees do. When you understand the challenges of their jobs, you certainly won’t jump to conclusions and assume that their tasks can be completed easily and quickly the way you want them to, but realize that some achievements take time to reap.
Another way to help make sure that your employees respect you is by promptly responding to them. They could have something they want you to look over, maybe submitting a deadline you deemed urgent, or they might be sharing some feedback. Whatever it is, responding to them will help them realize that you are indeed paying attention to them.
Having personal boundaries is not a bad idea either. You don’t want to be sharing too much of your personal life and problems with your employees. At the same time, however, you shouldn’t keep them at arm’s length at all times; being warm and friendly certainly gives you points.
Business leadership training can help open your eyes some more to the duties of and expectations from a leader. At the same time, you also learn that you have to exhibit the right characteristics that will enable employees to fully trust and respect you.