I hear people almost daily in seminars coast to coast, whining that while they may be making good money they really don’t feel “respected.” They don’t feel that people listen to them or take them seriously. They feel “used.”
I just finished writing another book: How To Get Men To Take You Seriously in Business and in Life! I learned a lot about how people think and what earns people respect.
I interviewed over 56 very successful women; including Cokie Roberts, from ABC News, comic Brett Butler and Susan Hirschmann, who was Congressman Tom DeLay’s chief of staff. I asked them questions about giving and receiving respect and they were all very clear that you get respect for what you DO. Respect is a function of results.
You are Respect-Able™, (trade-marked because I am working on a new book and seminar about The Respect-Ability™ Factor.) that is ABLE to get respect: when you produce results; when you get the job done, when you do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it and when people see VISIBLE, probably measurable, RESULTS.
As a professional, getting respect is not only about DOING the job, and doing it well. It’s about positioning yourself as Respect-Able™.
You are respected when people understand and appreciate the hard work you do. I suggest you find a way to express and demonstrate what you are already doing so well. Such as:
- Create a list of all the elements involved in your job. Exactly how many pieces of that puzzle are there? I suspect there are easily a hundred when you include all the tiny pieces that you do on automatic pilot, some of which may be automated, but they still have to be done. Then you can say: “There are 87 steps in generating a sales report.” Who knew?
- Communicate at least weekly to your boss, your customers or your clients to let them know what you are DOING for them. That’s easy with a phone call, email or a fax.
- Follow-up when you say you will follow up and put it in your calendar so it doesn’t fall through the cracks. And let them know that you are "just following up"
- Be disgustingly honest at all times. <G> If this is going to be a tough project — and aren’t they all these days? — tell them gently about the challenges you face and how you will overcome the obstacles. If possible, tell them how to prevent this problem in the future.
- Position yourself as a friend, a resource and a counselor. Isn’t that who you’d respect?
Want to know more about Respect-Ability™?
We would all like to believe that the only thing that really matters is who we are, how we think, and how we perform our jobs. Unfortunately, most of us have seldom found that to be true. Respect-Ability™ is all about YOU having the ability to be respected. Some people are born with it; some have to learn it; ANYONE can have it!
Special Report:
The Respect-Ability™ Factor:
How To Get Men, Children, Co-Workers and Other Assorted Mammals To Take You Seriously At Work and At Home.
$8.77 for 12 quick and easy to read, printer-friendly pages.
