Respect Others (even those you don’t agree with)

What is your philosophy on respect? Do you give it freely, or do you demand that someone meet an arbitrary standard that you set? Does someone have to agree with you in order to be worthy of respect?

A way to assess how you respect others is the way that you listen.

Do you:

• Listen to understand? Listen to connect? This is a listening style that is open and curious.   
   
• Listen to defend, disgrace or disagree? This is a listening style that is closed and contentious.

The way that you listen demonstrates either respect or disrespect. You choose.

Respect does not mean agreement. Respect is acknowledgement of another person’s humanity, honoring who they are regardless of their beliefs and opinions.

To put this into practice, consider your listening intent before each conversation. Decide your objective or purpose for participating in the conversation. Do you want to be “right” or be in relationship? Setting your intent is a powerful way to achieve goals, build relationships and drive innovation.

Leaders deal with many inputs, many opinions and many points of view. Great leaders listen respectfully to others.