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How to Gain Respect from Employees: Leadership Tips for Managers

June 6, 2024

Leaders don’t automatically gain respect from their employees; they need to earn respect by demonstrating that they value employees and prioritize their growth. Managers can earn more respect by improving their communication with employees and explaining important decisions. Gaining the respect of employees is important for management, because it improves workplace morale and can provide greater motivation among workers to be productive.

These topics will show you how to gain respect from employees and foster a better work environment:

How Do You Gain Respect from Employees?

How Do You Get Your Employees to Like You?

How Do You Build Trust with a New Employee?

How Do You Gain Respect from Employees?

Managers can gain the respect of employees by standing up for their best interests and offering strong, professional leadership. Here are 10 tips on how to gain respect from employees:

Give Respect

If you want your direct reports to respect you, it’s important that you first show them the respect they deserve. Treat all your workers fairly and demonstrate that you value them with your words and actions. Listen to their concerns and do your best to address them. Communicate clearly with your employees and explain important decisions to them. If you treat your staff members well, they will likely reciprocate the respect you show them.

Show Your Work Ethic

It’s important that good managers lead by example. Demonstrate through your work ethic and contributions that you’re a reliable member of the team worthy of your employees’ trust. Provide the lead on projects when appropriate and be sure you’re not pushing your workload onto employees.

Be Consistent

Consistency is key among strong, respected leaders. You should be consistent in your leadership approach and your expectations of people, so they always understand what’s expected of them. If your leadership style changes from time to time — if, for example, you give your employees freedom to make decisions with a hands-off approach, but suddenly micromanage a new project — they’ll be confused and unsure of what you need from them. Being consistent builds trusts and helps earn the respect of your team.

Be a Firm Leader

Managers who are pushovers with their workers don’t gain the respect of employees. Make decisions and stick to them if you feel it’s the right choice, even if it’s not popular with everyone. If you decide you need to change course in order to improve your approach, you’re free to change your mind, just be sure you’re doing it because it’s what’s best for the business and the team, not because it’s a more popular choice with employees.

Admit Your Wrongdoings

Leaders are human and just like your employees, you’ll make mistakes from time to time. It’s important that you own up to your wrongdoings and show your employees through example how to bounce back from a mistake. Always do everything you can to fix your errors and don’t be afraid to ask for help correcting a mistake. Your workers will notice and respect you for it.

Seek Out New Opinions

You hired your employees for a reason, so be respectful of their opinions and open to their suggestions on new ways of doing things. Being open to new opinions shows that you’re flexible and committed to following the best ideas, not just the ones you come up with yourself.

Recognize Successes

You can earn the respect of employees by rewarding them for their accomplishments. Find out how each employee likes to be recognized, whether it’s public praise or a private congratulations. Rewarding employees in the way they wish to be recognized demonstrates you care for them and creates a supportive work environment.

Seek Out Feedback

To get respect, don’t assume employees will come to you when they have feedback about your leadership or criticisms of the company culture. Schedule regular check-ins with employees where they’re free to discuss how things are going. Ask specific questions that address your management and accept any criticism in a positive, thoughtful manner.

Don’t Micromanage

Tell your employees what work has to be done and set clear deadlines for completion, but don’t tell them how to do their jobs. Delegating tasks and trusting your employees to complete them is key to gaining the respect of your workers. Let them know you’re available if they have any issues or want to talk through a project, but don’t micromanage how they approach their work.

Have Their Backs

Stick up for your employees and show that you have their backs. If an issue comes up with a project, you should shoulder the blame for the problem as the boss, rather than passing the blame off on your workers. On the flipside, if you receive praise and rewards from upper management for a successful project, make sure to spread the praise around and publicly recognize the role your employees played in the success.

How Do You Get Your Employees to Like You?

It’s natural for leaders to want to be liked by their direct reports. Follow these five easy tips to get your employees to like you:

Listen to your team members and take their opinions into consideration to make them feel valued and show that they can always come to you.
Set clear expectations so workers know exactly what they need to do and can be more productive in their tasks.
Don’t break your word by failing to follow through on promises you make, whether it’s a small matter like providing feedback on work by a certain day or a larger concern, like promising a pay raise to an employee.
Be constructive with your feedback to help your workers grow and improve in their jobs, rather than making them feel bad about their weaknesses.
Ask for feedback on your performance and leadership skills from employees, to show that you care about their opinions and are willing to grow as a manager to better support your workers.

How Do You Build Trust with a New Employee?

When a new employee joins your team, you want to demonstrate that you’re a capable and fair leader to build trust with the new team member. Here are five tips for building trust with a new employee:

Create a Personal Connection

Get to know your new employee on a personal level to help build trust and respect. Ask them about their personal interests and hobbies outside of work and remember the details they give so you can ask more about it in the future. Show that you’re interested in them on a personal level so they trust you and see that they’re valued.

Be Transparent

Be truthful with new employees about the challenges and opportunities within the company. Give them a clear picture of what they can expect in the future and what’s expected of them in their new role. When you make important decisions that affect them, explain the reasons behind your choices.

Offer Encouragement

Starting a new job can be stressful and raise insecurities in a new employee. Offer encouragement and constructive feedback to new team members early on so they can gain confidence and a better understanding of how to successfully complete their job duties.

Don’t Pick Favorites

It’s important that you don’t play favorites in the office among your team members. If you show the same level of support to all your employees and are fair in how you dish out assignments and perks, a new team member will start to trust and respect you sooner when they see they’re on a level playing field with their coworkers.

Seek Out Feedback

Check in with a new employee regularly to get feedback on your leadership and the company culture. Make sure the employee understands their role within the team and has all the resources and support needed to successfully execute their work.