Respect for Others: Seminar

From a leadership perspective respect can be described as a set of judgements relating to the perceived worthiness, ethical behaviors & shared values between a leader and follower. There are numerous forms of respect including appraisal respect where a perceived quality of another is deemed worthy, identification respect where that is associated with the close alignment of values between a leader and follower, and recognition respect that results from actions that are unbiased, dignified, and ethical. The concept of owed respect follows from the understanding that every member of an organization has value while earned respect is awarded to those who display admirable qualities and behaviors. Employees value being respected and when respected are more satisfied with their jobs and loyal to their companies. Respect for others is one of five attributes of an ethical leader.

It is imperative that respect is shown to all in an organization, for respect between a leader and follower is strongest when mutual. Leaders earn respect by showing respect. The views of all are needed in an organization to benefit from the inherent diversity (gender, race, age, religious background, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, disability, and nationality) and acquired diversity (cultural fluency, generational awareness, gender smarts, global mindset, military experience, and language skills). Leaders with higher levels of inherent and acquired diversity generally engage more team members in decision making, empower employees, and are more open to feedback. Members on teams where leaders have higher levels of inherent and acquired diversity feel more welcomed and included, are more prone to freely express views, and feel their ideas are more frequently heard and recognized.

Biases, including unconscious biases, act as a barrier for respect conveyed by a leader. Research indicates that employees who have leadership that is not diverse or is not inclusive are more likely to experience biased behaviors in the workplace. While the professions of law and medicine are nearly equal with respect to gender distribution, only 15-20 percent of the workforce in the engineering profession and the military service are female. The U.S. military is noted for the equality of access and opportunities for minority members of the services, with the advancement of senior minority leaders, at the highest levels within the services testimony to the attention given to previous long-standing disparities.