Self-absorbed leaders of the world: You are done. Over-cooked. Fried. Put a fork in yourself. Or, please, seriously, please, let me.
Just this weekend I heard a supposed “leader” DEMAND respect from his “subordinate”! *Eavesdrop moment*: “You must respect me! I am your BOSS.” The demand was based solely upon TITLE. Seriously? That works for you? Excuse me while I throw up a little in my mouth.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me!
Let’s start with:
Behaviors: Don’t say one thing and live/do another. Your title can sit in the bottom of my toilet…with the rest of the sh-tuff. EARN respect.
Attitude: Ummm, nursery rhymes have a “king of the castle”. Move on, please. EARN respect.
Fear: You may be the big dog, but you ain’t the only dog. By the way, you might want to wipe that drool, you’re starting to froth at the mouth. EARN respect.
Ultimatums: Trump! You lose! Play that big card and wait til you see what I’ve been holding. Don’t ever mistake my compassion for weakness. EARN respect.
Duplicity: If you choose to live without integrity, don’t expect me to follow along. You are so FLAGRANT you’re see-through. EARN respect.
If you must demand respect, you have NOT earned respect. Get a clue. See a therapist. Or, could you just this once, for old times sake, be self-reflective? Nah, see a therapist. Who are we kidding here? If you think your title/name/job/status/etc EARNS you respect, then you need to start over. Way over. If you don’t know what I’m saying, then this probably applies to YOU!
Blind compliance brings abuse of power, genocide, terrorism, ignorance, enabling, fear, corruption and all sorts of nastiness. If you CANNOT or CHOOSE NOT to lead with integrity, compassion, morality, nobility, honesty, gentleness, understanding, empathy, sincerity, transparency, insight, wisdom, peace, courage, dignity, perception and acceptance…THEN PLEASE, step down. Accept who you are, and move along. We NEED more. We do NOT judge. We just know what we NEED.
Jen: I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, and anyone with a remote sense of 20th century history should connect with your last paragraph. Many years ago, I spoke with a sales recruiter about a person I was going to interview with for a sales position. “What’s important to Jim?” I asked. “Loyalty,” she said. GAAAAAH! Run for the exits! Jim expects loyalty without first understanding his obligation to earn it? Needless to say, I declined the opportunity for the meeting.
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for your comment. You made a smart move to take a rain check on the “Loyalty Commando”. It never ceases to amaze me that there are people who truly believe they have earned loyalty, respect, admiration, etc just because they have a certain title/position. Bah. I like how you said that there is “an obligation to earn it.”
Cheers,
Jen