Last week I said we can’t treat others with respect if we don’t respect ourselves. This is crucial because we can only be significant if we are disciplined in treating all people with respect. In fact, that is the second essential in The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
I read a profound statement in a book called How to Deal with Difficult People by Paul Friedman. I don’t know if Friedman intended it to be profound, but it was profound to me, and I took it on as a standard for my life. Friedman said, “I choose to treat this person with respect, whether or not I like what they think, say, or do.” To me, that means that even if they are not treating me with respect, I choose to treat them with respect – and the operative word in that sentence is, of course, choose. You see, there is a profound difference between respect for someone and respect to someone. I imagine that if you have not already encountered someone you can absolutely not respect, you’re gonna. You will invariably, at some point, encounter someone that, for whatever reason, maybe it’s their behavior or the choices they continually make. Maybe it’s the words they choose or differing ethics. For whatever reason, you can in no way respect this person. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t choose to treat them with respect.
The Colonel used to say, “You don’t have to respect everyone, Lauren Ann. You have no right to disrespect anyone, young lady.”
Significant leaders make a choice. They discipline themselves daily to treat all people with respect, whether or not they like what they think, say, or do. You see, treating people with respect, especially in the face of difficult situations, is not a weakness. On the contrary, choosing to treat someone with respect, especially when disrespected, is a sign of character. You cannot lead someone if they feel disrespected by you or see you disrespecting someone else. Treat all people with respect whether or not you like what they think, say, or do. Essential number two of The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership – treat all people with respect.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
