How Will They Know You Truly Respect Them?

You cannot respect and honor others unless you respect the differences between people

The one behavior that talented people seldom tolerate for long is disrespect. In fact, in a survey of 20,000 employees worldwide, respondents ranked respect as the most important leadership behavior. And they reported more disrespectful and uncivil behavior each year.

Another global study measured the gap between employers’ and employees’ perspectives about dignity at work. Four in five employers (81 percent) believe their employees are treated with dignity and respect regardless of their job, role, or level, compared with 65 percent of employees who feel the same. And nearly two-thirds of employers (65 percent) believe they make it possible for employees to have a healthy integration of work and personal life, compared with less than half (46 percent) of employees who agree.

How are you doing in the dignity department? What would your employees say?

If you wish to engage and retain your talent, you must recognize each person’s unique qualities and then demonstrate your respect in consistent, undeniable ways.

When employees talk about the disrespect that drove them out the door to a new job, they sometimes refer to this feeling of invisibility. You might be simply lost in thought when you pass your employees in the hall and fail to acknowledge them. But they will notice and may feel less than honored or respected.

Note: Different cultures show respect differently. Our Asian colleagues say that while respect is key, bosses may not be likely to smile or greet their employees in the hallway; it’s just not part of the culture. They also say that the bosses who do smile and say hello are sure to win over their people!

Notice your employees. Pay attention as you walk down the halls and say hello to them by name. Smile, shake hands, greet your employees, and introduce them to others, even those of higher rank. They will feel respected and definitely not invisible.

You cannot respect and honor others unless you respect—even celebrate—the differences between people. Can you imagine how ineffective (and boring) your team would be if everyone thought, looked, and believed the same and had the same talents? Most of us readily accept the notion that diversity of talent and perspective strengthens a work group and contributes to excellent results.

Scott Page, author of The Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy, describes two types of diversity: cognitive and identity. Identity diversity refers to differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical capabilities, and culture. A person’s cognitive diversity encompasses his or her learning, experience, and problem-solving tools. You get a diversity bonus when you have a team of people who bring different cognitive tools and ways of thinking to a problem. When working on a tough problem, you’ll want smart people who think in a variety of ways, not just smart people.

So, we can agree that diversity in the workplace often yields great results. Yet if we are honest, we admit that differences also get in the way. The hard truth is that many of us more often tolerate than celebrate differences.