Respect

The most essential thing for a leader to have is the respect of those under his or her supervision. It starts with giving them respect.

You must make it clear that you are working together. Those under your supervision are not working for you but with you, and you all have a common goal.

Remember, you can have respect for a person without necessarily liking that individual. Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg said, “I loved all my players. I didn’t like them all, but I did love them all.” What does that mean?

You love your children, but you may not like some of the things they do. We are instructed, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” That doesn’t mean we have to like everything our neighbor does. That has nothing to do with our love for them.

You must have respect, which is a part of love, for those under your supervision. Then they will do what you ask and more. They’ll go the extra distance, make the extra effort in trying to accomplish the most they can within the framework of the team.

If they don’t respect their leader, people just punch the clock in and out. There is no clock-watching when a leader has respect.