Respect

As a manager, it is really hard to respect all the people we meet; yet without according respect, we cannot effectively judge their potential to contribute.  One of the biggest problems in management is that we tend to hire and favour people who are like ourselves.  This creates a kind of mono-culture that can prevent the organization from developing opportunities and assessing risks.

In my experience, it takes years to develop the skill of genuine respect.  The deeper parts of our brains goad us into instant judgements about people, probably useful on the grasslands of pre-history but not particularly beneficial in the jungles of modern business.  As the world becomes more multi-cultural and international, instant judgements can be deeply harmful.

Respect is based on the acceptance that not all people are the same - thank goodness!  Organizations need people who find fulfillment in all the jobs available.  People have different personalities, motivations and goals.  For example, some people are forceful and think on their feet; this doesn't mean that fewer ideas come from the people who gather their thoughts before speaking.

The real skill is to accord respect to others even when we don't know what motivates them or the circumstances of their background.  Listening carefully is one way of focusing on the actual ideas they have - this may mean silencing our snappy-editor-brain that comments freely on everything and everyone.

Respecting someone does not mean agreeing with their views or ideas or actions.  Exercising judgement is a responsibility of all managers.  Exercising respect means that the judgements we make are based on actual business reasons.  These are the judgements that create value for our organization, for our colleagues and for ourselves.