People follow leaders whose leadership styles or approaches command respect. That is what Dr. John C. Maxwell calls the Law of Respect in the heroic book titled the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
Ideally, there are six ways to earn respect as a leader. These include:
- Natural leadership ability
Some people are born with greater skills and ability to lead than others. If you possess natural leadership ability, people will want to follow you, to be around you and to listen to you. They will become excited when you communicate vision. When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. But when they respect you as a leader, they follow you.
- Respect for others
Dictators and autocratic leaders rely on violence, threats and intimidation to compel people to do what they want done. On the other hand, legendary leaders rely on respect. When leaders show respect for others, they gain respect from others.
- Expression of courage
Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger remarked, “A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.” Great leaders do what is right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of great danger, and under the brunt of relentless criticism.
A leader’s courage has great value. It imbues followers with beacons of hope and optimism. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
- When you access success
In a larger sense, success is very attractive. It entices people. Success is important when it applies to the people who lead us since it is hard to argue with a good record of great accomplishment. When leaders are successful in their own endeavours, people respect them. When they succeed in leading the team to victory, followers believe they can do it again. As a result, followers walk behind them because they want to be part of success in future.
- Ability to Show Loyalty
We live in an era of free agency. Professionals move from place to place hunting for fair deals. In a culture of constant change, turnover and transition, loyalty is an asset. When leaders stick with the team to the end and remain loyal to the organisation even when the going gets tough, subjects respect them and their actions.
- Value added to others
The greatest respect for a leader comes from his or her dedication to adding value to others since followers value leaders who add value to them. But how do leaders add value on followers? They do so when, they truly value them. They do so, when they become valuable people, when they know and relate to what others value. Lastly, leaders add value in people’s lives when they engage in things that God values.
© Victor Ochieng’
The writer rolls out Leadership Talks and Training Services. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
