How to Earn Respect at Work
Earn respect by being good at your job., Be a team player., Do your work in a timely way., Prioritize your tasks when you get too busy., Admit mistakes., Avoid office gossip., Do not lie about your abilities., Be prepared for meetings., Behave with...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Earn respect by being good at your job.
Respect is usually due either to being liked or to being deemed competent.
Sometimes respect is a combination of the two.However, when it comes to the workplace, it may be easier to control how competent you seem than how well liked you are.
Demonstrate your knowledge and abilities at work in order to encourage respect among your peers., Respect is often afforded to those who work to further the interests of the group--in this case, your company.Demonstrate that you are responsible and productive and that you care about how your business if performing.
Volunteer to help with projects when you can, and never shirk your work. , Agree to accomplish your assigned tasks, and complete them on schedule.Some keys to scheduling your time wisely include:
Sticking to a routine.Avoiding perfectionism during routine tasks--if it takes you 30 minutes to write a brief, low-stakes email, you should reevaluate your priorities.Resist the urge to multitask.
Instead, keep your attention focused on one thing at a time; you will get more done in the long run.Exercise in the mornings.
Spending 20-30 minutes exercising in the morning can help keep you focused and energized for a full day of work.Write important things down.
It can be difficult to remember everything we are told, and it can take valuable time and mental energy to recall important information.
Write down important tasks, information, and details in order to save yourself time and energy., While you should accomplish your assigned tasks, it is possible that you will be given too many items to accomplish them all productively.
Rather than refusing to accomplish your tasks, be proactive with your boss and colleagues about how to prioritize your work.For example, when your supervisor assigns you a new task when you are already overscheduled, you should say, "I would love to help you with that.
I am currently scheduled to accomplish tasks A, B, C, and D.
Do you have any recommendations about what I might place on the back-burner?" Let your supervisor help you find a way to get it all done. , Even very competent employees make mistakes sometimes.
Do not blame others for your errors: admit them honestly.
Your colleagues will respect you for taking ownership of your mistakes.It can also be useful to frame your mistakes as learning experiences.
As you admit your mistake, come up with possible solutions to prevent that mistake from happening again. , Offices can sometimes be rumor mills.
Resist the urge to engage in office gossip or talking behind your colleagues' backs.
You might be overheard and lose the trust of your supervisor., Do not exaggerate your training or your skill sets.
Admit it openly when you have new skills to learn and develop.
Even very competent employees will sometimes need extra training.
It is better to be open about it than to make a serious error because of your inexperience.Consider asking a mentor or colleague for help developing a new skill.
They will appreciate being considered as an expert and might help you learn new, valuable abilities. , Make sure that you take the time to be impeccably prepared for any important meetings or presentations.
Know the proper terminology, do your research, and practice public speaking.
If you are presenting slides during a meeting, practice going through the slides to make sure that the technology is working correctly and that there are not any typos., Do not undermine yourself.
If you respect yourself, others will be more likely to respect you.Ways that you can model confidence and self-respect include:
Speaking clearly, without mumbling.
Having good, upright posture.
Sharing your opinions and expertise during meetings.
Standing up for yourself (though in a polite, professional way).
Resisting "uptalk" (where declarative sentences are pronounced like they are questions). , Don't hide your achievements under a bushel.
Keep track of your accomplishments and the goals you've met.
Mention them during your performance reviews.
Be proud of the things you accomplish. -
Step 2: Be a team player.
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Step 3: Do your work in a timely way.
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Step 4: Prioritize your tasks when you get too busy.
-
Step 5: Admit mistakes.
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Step 6: Avoid office gossip.
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Step 7: Do not lie about your abilities.
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Step 8: Be prepared for meetings.
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Step 9: Behave with confidence.
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Step 10: Track your accomplishments.
Detailed Guide
Respect is usually due either to being liked or to being deemed competent.
Sometimes respect is a combination of the two.However, when it comes to the workplace, it may be easier to control how competent you seem than how well liked you are.
Demonstrate your knowledge and abilities at work in order to encourage respect among your peers., Respect is often afforded to those who work to further the interests of the group--in this case, your company.Demonstrate that you are responsible and productive and that you care about how your business if performing.
Volunteer to help with projects when you can, and never shirk your work. , Agree to accomplish your assigned tasks, and complete them on schedule.Some keys to scheduling your time wisely include:
Sticking to a routine.Avoiding perfectionism during routine tasks--if it takes you 30 minutes to write a brief, low-stakes email, you should reevaluate your priorities.Resist the urge to multitask.
Instead, keep your attention focused on one thing at a time; you will get more done in the long run.Exercise in the mornings.
Spending 20-30 minutes exercising in the morning can help keep you focused and energized for a full day of work.Write important things down.
It can be difficult to remember everything we are told, and it can take valuable time and mental energy to recall important information.
Write down important tasks, information, and details in order to save yourself time and energy., While you should accomplish your assigned tasks, it is possible that you will be given too many items to accomplish them all productively.
Rather than refusing to accomplish your tasks, be proactive with your boss and colleagues about how to prioritize your work.For example, when your supervisor assigns you a new task when you are already overscheduled, you should say, "I would love to help you with that.
I am currently scheduled to accomplish tasks A, B, C, and D.
Do you have any recommendations about what I might place on the back-burner?" Let your supervisor help you find a way to get it all done. , Even very competent employees make mistakes sometimes.
Do not blame others for your errors: admit them honestly.
Your colleagues will respect you for taking ownership of your mistakes.It can also be useful to frame your mistakes as learning experiences.
As you admit your mistake, come up with possible solutions to prevent that mistake from happening again. , Offices can sometimes be rumor mills.
Resist the urge to engage in office gossip or talking behind your colleagues' backs.
You might be overheard and lose the trust of your supervisor., Do not exaggerate your training or your skill sets.
Admit it openly when you have new skills to learn and develop.
Even very competent employees will sometimes need extra training.
It is better to be open about it than to make a serious error because of your inexperience.Consider asking a mentor or colleague for help developing a new skill.
They will appreciate being considered as an expert and might help you learn new, valuable abilities. , Make sure that you take the time to be impeccably prepared for any important meetings or presentations.
Know the proper terminology, do your research, and practice public speaking.
If you are presenting slides during a meeting, practice going through the slides to make sure that the technology is working correctly and that there are not any typos., Do not undermine yourself.
If you respect yourself, others will be more likely to respect you.Ways that you can model confidence and self-respect include:
Speaking clearly, without mumbling.
Having good, upright posture.
Sharing your opinions and expertise during meetings.
Standing up for yourself (though in a polite, professional way).
Resisting "uptalk" (where declarative sentences are pronounced like they are questions). , Don't hide your achievements under a bushel.
Keep track of your accomplishments and the goals you've met.
Mention them during your performance reviews.
Be proud of the things you accomplish.
About the Author
Sandra Bell
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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