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You may expect your employees to respect you simply because you are their manager. You may be right, to a degree. Most employees will give you some level of automatic respect, but respect you earn is much more meaningful than what you receive out of obligation. Consider these ideas to garner the kind of respect that will motivate your team to perform at their peak

Be Real

Don’t try to be something you’re not. Use the management style that is true to who you are. Your employees can detect authenticity, so don’t try to fool them. It’s always smart to study new management strategies, but adopt only those that conform to your own philosophy.

Don’t Be a Friend

Be warm, be empathetic, be understanding, but don’t cross the line into being buddies. It will only complicate your professional relationship and make it difficult to discipline your employees or offer them guidance.

Be Passionate

If you don’t care about your job, find another one. It’s important that you respect your company’s vision and goals, because it will motivate you and enable you to translate that vision honestly to your team.

Keep Up with Technology

Even if you are no longer in a hands-on tech position, technology changes fast and it’s important to make the effort to keep up. Spend time observing and getting involved in what your people are doing. Take classes (online or in person), read books, use whatever your personal learning style is to remain up to date.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

If you’re a smart manager, you’ll surround yourself with people who are even smarter than you. Go out of your way to learn what you can from them. If your techs see that you respect them and their skills, they will return that respect.

Admit When You’re Wrong

Don’t pretend to be perfect. No one is. Faking or covering up only creates bigger problems. Apologize if you need to. If you can humble yourself in front of your employees when you are wrong, they will trust that you are being honest with them.

Pitch In

When things get busy don’t shut yourself in your office. Ask how you can help. Your tech employees will respect you more if they know that you are willing to get your hands dirty when needed.

You can improve your chances of earning respect by hiring the right people in the first place – those with whom you share mutual respect. One of the best ways to identify and attract top talent is to work with a recruiter that you respect, like the professionals at Cornerstone. Please contact us if your company is interested in taking advantage of our knowledge and experience.

 

 


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