How to Gain the Respect of a Team

Think back to your days at school, and try to remember the different types of teachers that you dealt with. Chances are, that you had teachers who were able to gain the respect of your classes and who were well liked by everyone. When they asked the room to be quiet, it normally became quite quickly!

 

But then there were the teachers who had no grasp on the class whatsoever – who were teased and bullied by the class and who couldn’t control their behavior.

 

And so it is with managers, parents, and all kinds of leaders. So how do you go about gaining the respect of your team and avoiding becoming an ineffectual leader like the latter example?

 

Don’t Want it Too Badly

 

One of the worst things that any leader can do, is to appear desperate for their team to like and respect them. This is why the “buddy buddy” approach never works. If all you do is to try and please your team, if you try to make them laugh, and if you give in to all of their commands and requests, then you will eventually find that you completely lose the respect of your team and that they end up taking advantage of you.

 

Don’t try and be cool or be liked – just try and do the best for your team.

 

Control Your Emotion

 

Another easy way to lose the respect of your team is to lose your cool. The teachers that were most effective at controlling the class were not the ones who shouted the most but often the ones that were able to remain calm and collected.

 

If you seemingly explode every time something goes wrong, then you are going to become a target for your team to try and goad. But if you can stay calm and in-control, then you will earn their respect.

 

Do the Best For Them

 

Ultimately, the best manager or leader is the one who sacrifices themselves and puts their team first. That means taking flak from higher-ups when things go wrong, and it means trying to guide and nurture the team so they can do their best work.

 

If you do this, then your staff will pick up on that vibe. This will ensure that everything you do is seen through that lens, which will ensure that you gain their appreciation, and therefore, their respect.