R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - 7 Indispensable Attribute

Courtesy of TatanBrown- YouTube

Leaders carry tremendous responsibility in navigating an organization to achieve great outcomes and positively impact the lives of others for them to accomplish the same. They are responsible for communicating the direction of an organization. If they want to be respected by their peers and their workforce, they must be resilient and resolute. They must lead by example and not only by lip service.

We have seen too many failed leaders from the toxic Kalanick, former Uber CEO to Nick Lyon, head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. For those who don't know, Lyon failed to warn Flint residents of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2015. Lyon has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Flint Water Crisis. However, this is the tip of the iceberg. There are leaders who continuously abuse their power and participate in social irresponsibility, causing harm to the people that have been entrusted in their care.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. must be earned!! HERE ARE 7 ATTRIBUTES OF A HIGHLY RESPECTED LEADER

1.) Reliable

2.) Established and confident

3.) Strategic and Socially responsible

4.) Preserve

5.) Educated as an SME

6.) Communicates well

7.) Trustworthy

1. How Reliable are you? Can your followers, your employees, your team, rely on you to follow through? Can they rely on you for support? Do they know you have their back?

• Leaders who are reliable and dependable are able to have a greater influence on their teams

• Reliable behavior, integrity, and moral standards are interconnected

• When trust is established productivity increases in your organization

• Today, 70% of employees do not believe in their managers and are disengaged A disengaged workforce loses hundreds of thousands in profit because of the distrust in an unreliable leader

• A leader is responsible for informing shareholders, stakeholders, customers, and anyone that they lead reliable data. Dependable analytics empowers a leader to predict environmental and internal potential occurrences while providing adequate preparation for what may be coming in the near future. Reliable leaders seek reliable data for good analytics to convey valuable information.

2. An Established & confident leader is one who is well-grounded and well-rounded

• This leader is not jealous and is secure in who she or he is as a leader

• An established leader exudes confidence and stays focused on the bigger picture, the vision

• This leader also reassures and builds the team's confidence

• The established leader ensures that the employees have everything needed to do well and move forward to accomplish the vision.

• Established leaders don't think more highly of themselves then they should

• These leaders are humble and are seasoned. Nothing easily ruffles their feathers or throws them off course

• This leader knows how to re-calibrate and course-correct when necessary.

3. Strategic and Socially Responsible leaders – purposefully and methodically inform employees, stakeholders, shareholders, the board of directors, and others, using sound data and evidence, on the benefits of being a socially responsible organization

• They create value and add value to their followers, employees, teams, stakeholders in more sustainable ways demonstrating concern and respect for people, the planet, and profit that is earned purposefully—exceeding just making money

• The strategy for operating an organization more sustainably is to achieve long-term, holistic benefits, value, that is continuous through the life of the organization and extending into the community where it is locally and crossing borders globally

4. Do you know how to persevere when your back is against the wall?

• Your character speaks loudest through your behavior under pressure

• Can you stand on the frontline and face adversity or do you tend to shrink back or disappear?

• Even when it’s uncomfortable and it hurts sometimes, the one who endures to the end of this situation will see a reward

• Getting through problems and adversity by perseverance is self-rewarding. It demonstrates determination and when your followers see how you behave while going through humiliation or embarrassment and remaining steadfast and focused, they will learn how to endure hardship and maintain good character as well. They will also respect you even more

5. Educated as a Subject-Matter-Expert (SME) is a competency that cannot be overlooked. Professional and personal development sharpens you in your area of expertise. A great leader has a well- developed niche and will always stay abreast of industry advancements and changes.

6. Communication is a huge issue between leaders and followers.

• SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management) quoted in a 2016 report that a “survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees” and for smaller organizations the cost averages $420,000 per year.[1]

• Clearly, how well leaders communicate the intent, direction, vision, strategy, and execution of an organization must be consistent, that is, must be communicated often and creatively. There are classes that help in improving how to communicate.

• Lack of clear communication is critical and if not improved, costly.

7. Being Trustworthy is tied to all of the above attributes.

A Highly Respected Leader is deemed trustworthy when they are reliable, established and confident, strategic with incorporating social responsibility principles and practices in the organization. Perseverance and fortitude gains the respect from employees and encourages them to follow suit. Being an expert in your field is one of the key reason you hold your position and it is out of respect for yourself and those who follow you that you maintain your level of expertise. Trustworthy leaders know how to communicate well. They know how to speak words that will build their team up and strengthen them when they get weary. A highly RESPECTED leader is trusted to know how to use discretion.

Live 4 Change, LLC help organizations, nonprofits, churches, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and corporations create processes, and practices that will help them run more efficiently without doing

harm to the planet. We are a global strategic sustainability consultancy. We provide leadership training and coaching. We are SME in the areas of corporate and global social responsibility, and we facilitate workshops and retreats.

UPDATED: WE ARE NOW OFFERING OUR FREE BE 4 R.E.A.L. (RELIABLE, ETHICAL, AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP SERIES™ LEADERSHIP TOOLS & RESOURCES GUIDE! This perfect for those leaders who need quick access to articles, videos, and training materials designed to help you navigate your team (and yourself) in times of a crisis! Click HERE to get your guide.

Please follow Live 4 Change, LLC on Twitter, Facebook Business Page, Instagram, LinkedIn

Also, contact me: e.michellemickens@live4changellc.com

Reference:

[1] The Cost of Poor Communication. (2016, February 19). Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-development/pages/the-cost-of-poor-communication.aspx