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Whether it’s creating friendships, building lasting relationships, raising kids, or running a business, two essential qualities stand out as indispensable: respect and humility. As a husband, father, grandfather, and business owner I’ve learned that respect (to respect others and be respected) goes hand in hand with a healthy sense of humility in highly effective and successful people.
These traits contribute to more effective and meaningful relationships which are the cornerstone of the success and sustainability of a business. But let’s not isolate business successes with this blog; it’s a solid template for living a better life.
It’s critical here to understand that exercising humility and respecting/being respected by others are learned behaviours. We can’t fall back on not being ‘wired’ that way. We need to conduct some healthy introspection and test ourselves for these behaviours. The good news is, if we find ourselves lacking, there are strategies we can apply to get there.
Respect:
It’s too common a human behaviour, in a hierarchical setting, to DEMAND respect from others. It might give one the feeling they are earning respect through intimidation thinly masked as leadership but, in fact it’s seeking unconditional obedience and discouraging any independent thought or creativity to one’s job. Sure to result in misunderstanding, apprehension and frustration, none of which augur well for team member development or a stable workforce.
Respect is the foundation upon which strong leaders are built and how lasting relationships endure. Leaders who show respect to others create an environment of trust and collaboration within their teams. Leading by truly respecting others benefits all in many ways. Now for the introspection.
Do you:
Value diverse contributions? Take off the blinders and really listen to the POV of others. Acknowledge the unique and valuable contributions of others to the solution.
Empower people? Letting team members try, and in some cases even fail, will engender both skills development and long-term loyalty. Show them you trust them, and they will trust you in turn.
Exercise Open Communication? The agenda for the business should be clear for everyone. Don’t let team members feel they are on the outside looking in. Sharing is healthy. Secrets are not.
Humility:
Some associate a strong sense of humility with weakness despite the strength of character it invariably demonstrates. Of course, if we consider verbatim definitions that include terms like ‘low self-regard’ and ‘sense of unworthiness’ we can see why. One needs to understand these in context. We need to think about ourselves and our values as being equal to and not better than our colleagues. It’s a healthy perspective on our own strengths and weaknesses that will serve us well in our interactions with others.
A true leader recognizes and acknowledges their own limitations and celebrates/leverages the unique skillsets of other team members, with a view to the success of all. Time for more introspection.
Do you:
Seek Continuous Self-Improvement? More important than acknowledging weakness is demonstrating willingness to strengthen and improve in these areas. It not only enhances your leadership skills, but it encourages the same in others.
Celebrate the Achievements of Others? Take the spotlight off yourself and shine it on team members and their contributions to the overall success. The pride in achievement builds a foundation for success.
Engender Positive Growth? Everyone on the team needs to understand their role, and how they contribute. Open sharing and encouraging/facilitating self-development in team members will pay dividends and reinforce your collaborative leadership style.
Keep it Light? Part of exercising a healthy sense of humility is having the ability to laugh at yourself and along with others. It’s important to step down from any pedestals we may have put into place and be more vulnerable. It will help others to feel more comfortable in their own skin, and let’s face it; it’s just more fun.
So, Respect and humility aren’t just tools in an arsenal for success in business. They are qualities to be embraced if we want really to make a difference in our interactions and relationships with others. They help us be more successful, but ultimately, they make us better people.