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For me, respect is a tough topic to write about and define. I believe this stems from being an educator. As educators, we always talk about the importance of teaching our students respect. In professional developments, this is met with a question, "What does respect look like? What does respect really mean?"
The leader of this type of professional development is trying to make us see that not everybody knows the meaning of respect. Therefore, there is a broad understanding in the educational field that respect needs to be taught and modeled to our students.
Looking around at some internet exchanges on social media sites, I see the disconnect between respect and interacting with people. The same can be said with our political climate. It seems that people are extremely harsh towards the people on the opposite side of the aisle. I dare to say that people don't respect different opinions and this leads to the lack of respect.
I see it everyday in the schools. There are students that don't show respect to their teachers and classmates. I have even had conversations with some of these students and they state, "They (their teacher) don't show me respect, so I don't show them respect."
Maybe that is the struggle politically and on the internet. Once someone attacks, you don't feel respected and the lack of respect causes people to lash out on the web. So, what do we do? As educators, we teach our students about the importance of respect, because it's the right thing to do.
In terms of on the internet, I'm not sure that there is a lot that we can do. People will act the way that believe is okay, and we must respond with the respect that we desire. (By the way, I don't see this lack of respect on financial websites or in the blogging realm). The disrespect on the internet seems to stem from political arguments and on social media sites.
Why is Showing Respect So Important to Success?
Chris Hogan specifically talked about respect in his article "10 Characteristics of Highly Successful People." In this article, he stated the below quote about respect:
"People are drawn to highly successful leaders. They are charismatic, warm, respectful, open, and engaging. They have a knack for making others feel valued and heard. This may be difficult for strong leaders who are focused on getting the job done, but developing this skill is critical to success."
Chris specifically focused on leaders in this quote, however, respect is something that can affect your everyday life, including your pocketbook. Below are a list of six ways that being respectful will help you succeed financially.
1. Respect will Help you Get a Job
Imagine that you are without a job. Saving for retirement, building up an emergency fund and paying down debt is not even possible without a job. Therefore, showing respect in the interview process is the best way to be considered for a job. Sure, there are other qualifications that an employer looks for, but being respectful will definitely give you a step up.
2. Respect will Help you keep a Job
Let's say you got that job! Now, you are working and earning an income. This allows you to save, invest, pay off debt, and even enjoy the money that you are earning. What would happen if your attitude changed and all of the sudden your boss does something that you dislike?
You no longer respect your boss, and you show it! You are belligerent, rude and don't care about your bosses opinion. I can't imagine that a boss would allow you to stay in that position very long. I know from experience, because I have a family member who was fired because of the way they treated their boss, co-workers and employees.
Basically, being a hard worker and being respectful to each person on your staff will help you succeed.
3. Respect will Help You Succeed as an Entrepreneur
Let's say you own your own business and you are looking for the best way to keep employees and avoid turnover. One of the easiest ways to keep your employees is show them respect and treat them exactly how you would treat yourself.
There is a line in the bible that has always stuck out to me as a husband, but this line can be used as an entrepreneur.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:25
Just as I am called as a husband to love my wife like Christ loved the church. As an entrepreneur, I should love and respect my employees more than I respect myself. The employees are the ones that make your business operate and make money. You cannot be successful without your employees.
4. Respect will Help you Succeed as a Manager/Leader
This one is connected with entrepreneurship, because a leader has a team that works for them. That team will work harder for somebody that respects everyone on the team. It's the idea of servant leadership and a leader that leads with a servant heart will show their team members that they are respected. In the end, that team will have a better chance of being successful.
5. Respect will Help You Succeed with your Marriage
You know that I am going to bring back the bible again right? Well, here is that quote again:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:25
A married couple needs to learn how to work as a team to be successful with their finances. Imagine a couple that constantly fights and bickers.
Do you think this couple is showing respect or loving each other like Christ loved the Church? I don't think so....
Do you think this couple would work together to succeed? I find it hard to believe that a struggling couple would find it easy to work together as a team.
Change your heart and attitude towards each other and anything is possible. A husband that loves his wife more than he loves himself will have the respect of his wife for eternity. This respect between each other will lead to a relationship of teamwork for a common goal.
Sure there will be disagreements, but those will be met with respectful discussions that allow for both peoples voice to be heard and common ground for agreement. That's how you build respect in a relationship and eventually you will begin to succeed as a team!
6. Respect will Help you Be A Better Digital Citizen
Your online presence and your online show of respect may not affect your success in the real world. However, there have been times when somebody has lost their job because of something they have said or done on social media.
You may not think your digital footprint is a big deal, but something you did in college can come back to haunt you. Therefore, make it a point to be respectful all the time.
The Key is Respect
There are a lot of characteristics of someone successful, but I feel like respect is one of the most important. It's the key to treating each other properly. It's the key that gives us the strength to love one another like we love ourselves.
This Memorial Day weekend take the time to reflect on your relationships and try to figure out if you could be treating somebody better than you are treating them today. You may not be happy with your self-reflection, but it might be just what you needed to change a relationship that needs major help.
On this Memorial Day weekend, don't forget to respect the country and vets that gave us and me this freedom to write from the heart. I am truly lucky to be able to write an article each week for you and I am thankful for each one of my readers. The people who gave up their life, so I can do this should never be forgotten.
Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend and Remember Respect is the Ultimate Key to Success!
You can take a look at my other articles focussed on rich habits. When I focus on rich habits, I don't mean the ultra wealthy. I focus on the average American that builds up wealth through hard work and steady savings over a long period of time! I dug into topics such as positivity, trying new things, imagination, resiliency, and hard work.
