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What do people respect in a leader?





Respect consists of the ways people treat their leaders and other group members. Core features of respect include social status and likeability (See Psychology of Respect).

Honesty
In a 2014 survey by Kouzes and Posner of over 100,000 people, honesty was the highest quality (CEO). Honest communication is often supported by facts that can be checked by others. Honesty promotes trust and credibility. One major lapse in integrity can dash a career. Apologies may help but for many, trust is gone forever.

Politicians often get little respect because they fail to deliver on their promises. A CEO will be ousted when a promised result doesn’t happen. But politicians seem to get away with failed promises when they can blame the failure on a competitor, opposition party, or foreign power.

Golden Rule
Leaders gain or lose respect depending on how people perceive them as following the Golden Rule- Treat others as you would like to be treated. Respect is a relational concept. Most people respond with warmth to kindness, politeness, and fair treatment. And people tend to respond in kind to disrespectful treatment. Politicians and corporate leaders who deal in “dirty tricks” can expect retaliation.

Confidence
People respect leaders who appear confident. Confidence in a leader is obviously important in times of crisis such as war and disaster. Troops appear to have a knack of discovering poor leadership. This loss of confidence can happen in politics, industry, and other organizations, including churches. Of course, confidence must be supported by results. Confident leaders who lead people in the wrong direction can expect to lose respect.

Fair Treatment
Young children have a sense of fairness when it comes to following the rules of a game. Cheaters are penalized. Some cheaters are ostracized. Adults continue to live by a sense of fair play. Leaders must be careful when promoting and awarding raises to members or employees. Some people who have been treated unfairly can be motivated by revenge and wreak havoc in a family, an organization, or a nation—especially when they have a high level of respect in the eyes of a sizeable minority.

Commitment
We respect leaders and group members who are committed to the goals of a group, company, organization, or nation. People who do not show commitment are treated with low respect. Commitment involves acting in ways that advance one’s group. Some commitments are symbolic like standing to sing a national anthem or showing you like a friend’s social media post.
Other commitments are more tangible like volunteering to decorate for an organization’s social event or working on a project that improves the social standing of a business. A high degree of respect is show by the commitment to serve in a nation’s military.

Caring
People respect leaders who demonstrate social responsibility. A fascinating survey of MBA students by Montgomery and Ramus found that 90% cared more about working for a company that demonstrated social responsibility than about financial benefits (2003). Of course, there’s nothing like participating in an activity to show a level of sincerity beyond a brief photo-op.

Consistent, Clear, Communication
My wife and I have been on several tours. One particular leader stood out for confusing communication. You could hear a constant buzzing within our group concerning where we are going, when we are supposed to meet, and what we are supposed to bring with us. The leader won respect for kindness, honesty, and caring, but was so easily distracted when giving instructions that it was hard to know what to expect.

Consistent communication also links back to honesty and integrity. Credible leaders do what they say they will do. Simple explanations for failure may get a pass on occasions, but not on a regular basis.

On-Time
In western cultures, respect for time is a two-way street. We expect leaders and group members to be punctual. There is no such thing as “fashionably late” when it comes to respect. Lateness represents disrespect for the value of a person’s time and whatever they are communicating. People can maintain respect following an occasional lateness when a socially acceptable reason is provided as long as lateness is not habitual.



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