How To Command Respect

There’s immense power in respect. Something as simple as the act of treating others as though they really matter goes a long way.

If you're wondering how to show up with behaviors that earn respect, here are tips that will improve your personality over time.


Be worthy of earning people’s respect: Respect has to be earned. Before you earn people’s respect, you have to possess a level of confidence in yourself, and show competence. You have to simply do the things that are worthy of receiving that level of respect you expect. 

If you’re in a leadership position for example, and you’re asking your subordinates to do something you’re not willing to do yourself, they’re never going to respect you. When your words and actions are in alignment, you are being a man of your word. People would naturally respect you.

Stand up for your opinions and beliefs in a respectful way: To be candid, the minute you start compromising your beliefs, you lose your respect.

When I was in school, I had a friend who believes in Traditional African religion, which is different from other people’s religious beliefs. It’s not very common to find people like that around, but he always had his ways of respecting other people’s beliefs, thereby gaining his own respect.

 He doesn’t push his beliefs onto anyone else and doesn’t judge anyone for not sharing his belief. But when someone asks him about it, he always stands firm in his beliefs, while still being respectful and nice about it.

That’s the sweet spot: Be comfortable both with your own beliefs and with others differing beliefs.


Learn to say, “No.”: Don’t feel guilty about saying 'no' once in a while. Don’t worry about missed opportunities either. You don’t need to agree to everything that someone asks from you, especially if it is a superior or a client. Sometimes, you are more respected by saying no, rather than agreeing to do everything. When you say no, you show you’re not afraid of admitting that you value your time and that you don’t have time for everything. People will respect you more.

Own up to your Mistakes: It is very difficult for people to own their situation, and admit they are wrong. Most of us are guilty of this. Have you sat down and thought about a person in your life who always refuses to admit when they’ve made a mistake? How do you feel about that person’s behaviour?

One thing you should know is this: People who stand their ground even after they realize they’ve messed up are doing so out of pride. Prideful people quickly lose people’s respect. Pride is an unattractive quality that ruins reputations and relationships.

Don’t waste other people’s time: Most people fix appointments by 10 am, and by 10:30 am, they are still preparing to go. Hold on a second, how do you expect people to take you seriously and respect you? If you respect people’s time, they will respect yours. 

This includes not being late for appointments, not spending time in meetings talking about useless items, getting to the point fast, bringing up issues right away, and making it easier for others to make decisions, especially when they are busier than you.

Control your emotions: Make sure to curb your instant reactions to things that make you highly emotional—whether it is good or bad. Sure, it’s OK to be yourself and show enthusiasm. But remember those good leaders and well-respected people know the difference between responding and reacting. The latter is not a good habit.

Stop being too nice: Distinguish kindness from always having to do things for people. Trying to please everyone and make them happy won’t get you very far in life. 

Being a pushover is highly undesirable if your goal is to be respected. If you’re too nice to everyone all the time, some people might even think you’re not genuine. People take you for granted because they know you are predictable.

Finally, focus on building your confidence, controlling your emotions, being respectful, owning your actions, and continually growing and you’ll finally command respect.

If you want to command respect, we strongly recommend you pick up the following book: How You Can Command Respect and Be Loved for It: Knowledge and Skills to Change Your Life written by James Taylor. 

The book is for people who wish to become more assertive and more respected and is full of exercises and tips to raise your social status. Use this link to get the audio version for FREE: http://tidd.ly/248f835b

Even better, you can get premium videos training's from top experts at the top of their game. Just click here for 1 month FREE trial of LinkedIn Learning: http://bit.ly/learngigs there are thousands of courses to choose from. Good luck to you.