We’ve all heard the Aretha Franklin song about Respect – and quite frankly, the respect she’s looking for is something we all desire. Hence why the song lives on through the decades. Respect is an issue that can build up or tear down relationships, friendships, and even businesses. Often on the heels of respect is trust. So what happens when the unthinkable occurs – you hire someone who doesn’t respect your leadership and management style?
Drew Hendricks of Inc. addresses this topic with candor and clarity with his article: “How to Manage an Employee Who Doesn’t Respect You.” It can seem complicated and convoluted to work with employees who don’t respect you; and in fact, fear of that rubbing off on the other employees can be a very real concern. It certainly doesn’t help positive employee engagement! But, as Hendricks reminds us: to be the leader is to continue to maintain a high level of integrity. While he gives quite a few helpful tips, we are going to highlight our favorite one right now, and you can visit the article below to learn the rest.
His first point is to maintain a positive attitude, and in the heat of the moment, we know that can be difficult. Hendricks notes, “Employees tend to feel more positive when they believe their opinions matter to the organization as a whole,” so if there is discourse in a meeting or in front of other employees, maintain your positive attitude and pull them aside later and ask them to communicate about any concerns they have. Let an employee know you hear them in a positive manner. Because we recognize the challenge (and importance!) of maintaining your positive attitude as a leader, we would add a side comment about the positive impact of 5-10 minutes of positive, influential reading every day. Starting with something like Dale Carnegie‘s “How To Win Friends And Influence People” may be beneficial in order to keep that positive attitude when dealing with a situation where someone isn’t respecting your leadership.
As you will see, this positive attitude is the basis and foundation for the remaining actions Hendricks advises taking when you have an employee who doesn’t respect your leadership style.
To read the rest of his helpful ideas in the full article over at Inc.com, please visit:
http://www.inc.com/drew-hendricks/how-to-manage-an-employee-who-doesn-t-respect-you.html
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Photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net / Vlado
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