4 Ways to Immediately Earn the Respect of Those You Lead

Are you ready to lead? If you want to succeed, you had better be. This article comes from Entrepreneur.

4 Ways to Immediately Earn the Respect of Those You Lead

To be an effective leader, you can’t just come in and start throwing your weight around. You have to command respect. That doesn’t come from just coming in and saying “I’m the leader, listen to me.”

You have to earn it. And once earned, you have to keep it.

Be passionate about your vision.

It’s not enough just to be passionate, though. Make sure you’re communicating that passion to the employees or subordinates you lead, and you’ll be able to earn and keep respect and keep your team on the same page. And a team that’s on the same page is an effective team.

Have a servant leadership attitude.

When you look at great leaders, they all have the attribute of trying to help the people under them be better and have better lives. No matter what your business model is, you’re serving. You’re filling a need or solving a problem. And if you’re in it for yourself, everyone else under you will be, too.

Earn respect by working hard to serve the people under you; you’ll gain and keep their respect.

Be open to change.

Seth Godin has founded companies, changed the face of the publishing industry multiple times and become a world-renowned speaker, writer and thought leader. He’s met and spoken with leaders across many different industries and nations, and at the end of the day, there’s one major lesson that he found: Great leaders have in common the willingness to change and make things better.

That means being open to input.

No one knows everything, not even you, and if you’re smart you’ve surrounded yourself with people that complement your strengths and weaknesses. Listen to them and you’ll both earn and keep their respect.

Take responsibility.

When you’re in a position of leadership, you can earn and keep respect by saying the same thing Truman and Jobs did: The buck stops here. You’re responsible for everything that happens under you.

Respect is earned.

A great leader earns respect, and when you apply these four points you’ll be able to take your organization and the people under you to new heights. You’ll inspire leadership in those who work for you and with you. And you’ll change lives, maybe in ways, you didn’t ever expect.

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