Respect Colloquial Concepts of Respect

¶ … Respect

Colloquial Concepts of Respect

Respect is one of the phrases most-often referred to in connection with personal attributes and leadership qualities and capabilities. There are various misconceptions about exactly what it means to "command the respect" of others. In the most general sense, respect is a reaction to any accomplishment or achievement that is the product of hard work or ingenuity (Kinicki & Williams, 2005). However, in terms of professional and personal leadership, respect may have a much narrower definition.

Likewise, it is widely repeated that respect is earned, but in several ways, that element of respect is also widely misunderstood. For example, one way that respect of others is commonly understood to be earned is by virtue of measurable or quantifiable achievements: in that regard, one might be said to respect a business mogul for his financial acumen or foresight. For another example, respect is often said to earned by reciprocity, such as where one presumably earns the respect of others by first demonstrating respect for others. Without minimizing the value of knowledge, skills, and achievements, and without contradicting the importance of mutual respect for others in the colloquial sense (Harari, 2002), respect (particularly in the context of professional leadership and management) is much more a concept of objective principle than of personal abilities, achievements, or even interpersonal relationship style.

Respect as a Function of Objective Principles

When it comes to identifying the conceptual basis of the right to respect in principle, specific abilities and achievements are much less important that certain personal qualities. That is substantially (but not exclusively) true simply because neither abilities nor achievements or accomplishments are necessarily guarantees that an individual deserves respect except in the narrowest sense in relation to those factors. Nothing more than a cursory look at news headlines or some of the most high profile recent criminal cases to arise in the U.S. In connection with financial fraud and corporate misconduct, not to mention political positions expressed by members of the U.S. Congress.

Almost without exceptions, the largest and most destructive examples of contemporary financial fraud and corporate malfeasance have been perpetrated by individuals with high levels of education, professional expertise, and previous (legitimate) accomplishments. Similarly, some of the most important political disputes ongoing in connection with major governmental policy disputes go a long way toward undermine any suggestion that certain members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate deserve respect. Collectively, all of those examples illustrate that advanced education, professional expertise, and past achievements are insufficient to justify respect without another crucial component: integrity (Liker, 2003; Maxwell, 2007).

The Essential Role of Integrity in Relation to Respect