Earning others’ respect is an involved process that can
take some time for you to accomplish. By following these simple tips, it can
help you earn the respect of your peers.
1. Don’t let emotions get the best of you
To earn respect, you must be willing to remain calm and
collected regardless of the situation. If you lose your cool and allow emotions
to take over, it will be much more difficult for others to view you in a
positive light. Instead, follow these characteristics of an outgoing person:
You shouldn’t react emotionally during an argument. A
respected person knows to keep their cool when others cannot. While another
person may raise their voice to place emphasis on a point or to accuse you of
something, you respond in a calm manner. When you do so, you can defuse the
intense situation and earn the respect of others.
You should also remain calm in tense situations. For
example, say your work environment is stressful. Given this environment, it
would be easy for you to lose your cool. However, by maintaining a level head,
speaking in a calm voice and not allowing emotion to take over, you show
command over the situation. This will attract others to you because they see
leadership qualities in you.
2. Show that you are a leader
People will listen and follow others whom they respect.
With this in mind, by showing natural leadership tendencies, it will make it
easy for you to earn the respect of others. Here are some great leadership
qualities to have:
You possess great communication skills. This means you
have the innate ability to speak to others on a wide variety of topics.
Further, you are able to engage the listener with your words. To accomplish
this, you should refrain from telling dirty jokes, using poor language such as
cuss words or yelling. Instead, you are warm, friendly and speak with knowledge
on the conversation topic. Furthermore, leaders don’t speak uncertainty by
using words such as “uh”. They also don’t try to end silences with filler
material. They are confident no matter what the situation entails.
Leaders also take pride in their appearance. While you
don’t have to blow through yours or your parent’s bank account to do this, it’s
important to dress the part. Make sure your clothes are clean, your hairstyle
is at least somewhat current and be sure to practice proper hygiene. This means
cleaning your nails, trimming facial hair and making sure your teeth are clean.
You cannot expect others to respect you if you don’t show them you care about
your appearance.
Another trait leaders share is in their body language. To
be a good leader, you walk with an upright posture, establish confident eye
contact with those you speak to and maintain a steady voice throughout the
conversation. By doing this, you attract others with your personality and
confidence. Conversely, if you speak quietly with your shoulders huddled and
you look down at your shoes, people will perceive you as shy. It is much harder
for people to express confidence in you if you don’t have confidence in
yourself.
Overall, leaders exhibit these skills naturally. This means
they don’t try to act confident they just are. Now, this may take years of
experience to master for you. It did for me. However, when I started taking the
time to speak to others and practice these communication skills, I was amazed
at how much confidence I gained. It also had an effect on those around me, as I
noticed they would ask for my feedback on certain topics. Even if you have to
take baby steps to improve your communication skills such as watching yourself
in the mirror while speaking or recording a conversation, it’s a good first
step towards gaining confidence.
3. You are a problem solver
One of the best ways to earn the respect of your peers is
to master the art of problem solving. Here is a guide to help you with this:
When a problem occurs, you don’t react emotionally to it.
For example, say you are on a trip with a group of coworkers and you try to
check into a hotel and they don’t have your reservations. Certainly, this would
be a frustrating problem to encounter, but in this case you don’t complain
about the problem. Instead you tackle it.
You address the problem head on. In this example, show
the attendant your work’s travel itinerary if applicable. Another solution
could be to call whoever made the arrangements to see what they can do. The
goal here is to find action steps to solve your problems instead of complaining
to the attendant about it.
Along with solving the problem, you are diplomatic in
your responses. Even if the attendant is rude or unhelpful, you take the high
road. You treat them with respect and you work together to find a solution. By
doing this, you show your coworkers you are in control of the situation, which
can earn their respect.
4. Earn respect by giving it
As you develop confidence, it’s important that you remain
humble. There’s nothing more unattractive to others than if you act arrogant.
Instead, treat others with kindness even if they won’t do the same for you.
When you treat others with respect, some will appreciate the kindness you show
and may respond in kind. While you won’t be able to please everyone, by being
nice to all you will gain respect from some of your peers.
5. Keep your word
The easiest way to lose respect is to say you’ll do
something and don’t follow through on it. If you want respect, you must show
that you are dependable. When you commit to meetings or obligations, be sure to
follow through on them. When you become someone that others can count on, it is
then that you earn their respect.
Ultimately, earning respect means you naturally convey
confidence and leadership qualities. You don’t allow emotions to control the
situation. Instead, you control it. Further, you are willing to earn respect by
being kind to others and be dependable. When you develop these five traits, you
will earn the respect of others.
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