Being respected is better than being feared. Fear is only as good as when you’re around. Respect lasts forever.

 

What are the attributes that employees want from managers they respect?

 

Here’s a list of some of the most important skills and attributes that respected managers:

 

  1. Integrity – In a manager, integrity is the skill/trait that they can be counted on to be an honest person every time. They don’t have to be perfect, but they’re consistently striving to do their best to keep to their word, to assist their staff, and to make everyone’s lives better.
  2. Communication – The strong, silent type plays well in Westerns, but it’s terrible in the office. Managers need to make sure they communicate and even over-communicate. Efforts to communicate will be rewarded with a better working environment and more productivity. 
  3. Listening – Managers who listen will find their staff is their greatest asset. When the staff is listened to, they feel appreciated. They’ll bring more ideas to the table, work harder to make things happen, and be much less likely to quit. Everyone wants to be heard. If you’re the manager who listens, you’ll find that your staff will make it worth your time.
  4. Advocate – A respected manager is one who advocates for their staff. They will guard them from unnecessary hassles from above, from customers, and always from other employees. They stand by their team to make sure everyone is protected under the same umbrella. 
  5. Fair – Respected managers don’t have favorites. Even if someone is a lot better than anyone else, they aren’t a favorite. The problem with picking favorites is that the less liked immediately resent it. Soon they act as if they resent it. It’s a spiral of worse behavior and being less liked. This usually ends in the employee being fired, but the manager can also get fired. 
  6. Respectful – A manager should respect their people and everyone around them. They should treat everyone with kindness. They never harass anyone or behave  in a way that hurts someone’s feelings or creates an uncomfortable situation.
  7. Learning – A respected manager is always learning. You might be the nicest person in the world, but if you’re still using a pager and a PDA, you’re not respected. You don’t have to know everyone’s job, but you need to have a sense of how and what everyone does. Take time to make yourself better so you can give your team a better partner.

 

Being a respected manager isn’t hard. It simply requires that you work for it. Respect isn’t given, it’s earned. It’s earned by attempting to keep everything as fair, kind, and productive as possible. 

 

The key is to start by actually wanting to be respected. Don’t demand it. Earn it.