11 Subtle Ways To Command Respect | How To Earn Respect

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Being respected helps accelerate your way to success. But what do we need to do to command respect from the people around us?

Here are 11 subtle things that will earn you respect. 

1. You are punctual

Nobody likes to waste time, especially not waiting for someone who clearly doesn’t care about you wasting your precious time. 

Being late is, therefore, an excellent way to make a terrible first impression. 

By contrast, being punctual might not get you noticed much initially, but it will earn you respect from most people over time.

2. You are organized and don’t lose things/your life is organized

Losing stuff is bothersome. First of all, because it wastes so much of your time and energy to find what you’ve lost or rather misplaced. 

And second of all, it is highly annoying for everyone around you to always have to wait for you to sort yourself out. 

On the other hand, being organized takes some discipline, so it is an admirable trait to see in another person. 

It makes us wonder how much thought they spend on their organization system, and we appreciate how easy dealing with them is.

If you want to command respect, showing up organized is a great way to do so!

3. You are kind and patient; especially in annoying situations

Kindness and patience are always going to be traits that draw people towards you. But they are admirable even more so in stressful and annoying situations. 

Surely you’ve witnessed someone taking out their frustration on a waiter or shop assistant or hotline worker at least once or twice. Has it ever made you feel anything but uncomfortable, angry, or pitying?

Even if your waiter messes up your order or spills the drink on your lap, the situation will only get worse for absolutely everyone involved by spitting cruel words, being insulting, or shooting disdainful looks. 

Since this seems like the automatic response of many people, it is all the more impressive when you watch someone stay calm, patient, and gracious. 

4. Your shoes are clean

Shoes are often a part of your outfit you won’t spend all too much time obsessing over. And unless you’ve got a whole closet full of shoes, it’s also the part that gets worn much more often than your other clothes. 

As a result, they also tend to get dirty sooner or later.

Ensuring your shoes are always clean is a very subtle way to show that you care about details and are organized enough to take care of them. 

5. You give people and projects your undivided attention

In a world full of distractions, giving a task or person your undivided attention is rare. This is why it leaves such a big impression.

It makes the person in front of you feel important, and people remember how you made them feel far more than what you said. 

It also saves time, because you are much less likely to have to ask the other person to repeat themself. 

6. You listen to other people’s opinions and counsel but only follow that of a few carefully selected people

Too many prideful people brush aside the mere suggestion of other opinions because, after all, they already know everything there is to know. 

This show of (perceived) superiority not only makes a bad impression it’s also creating unnecessary difficulties for everyone involved. 

There is always the chance of gaining something valuable by listening to other opinions and counsel. Sometimes the argument might not be new, but the way it is expressed can cause an idea to spark in you. 

As much as it earns you respect to listen to other people’s opinions, you will lose all of that respect if you follow every new counsel you’re given. 

Successful people who command respect know not only how to listen to outside advice and but also when to follow or disregard the advice. 

7. You hold yourself to high standards

Many people hold others to high standards and expect them to do their best regardless of the circumstances. 

Yet few of these people hold themselves to the same high standards. Instead, they grasp flimsy excuses to justify their less than ideal performance. 

How can you ever expect to command respect when you don’t hold yourself to the same standards as everyone else? It will only make you seem like a hypocrite. 

However, if you hold yourself to even higher standards, you are almost guaranteed to earn at least reluctant respect for that. 

Read also: 5 Reasons You Need To Raise Your Standards

8. You separate your private and professional life and don’t overshare

Unless your private life is part of your brand, it should stay far from your professional life. 

Few things are as annoying as someone not being able to stay professional. 

The people you strive to be like don’t want to know about your struggles at home. They want to know how to get the job done most efficiently. 

Don’t appear to work with wrinkly clothes and unkempt hair because you had a fight with your spouse.

Don’t hire someone entirely incompetent and lazy just because they are your cousin. 

And please, don’t have your children screaming in the background of your Zoom call.

It will earn you much more respect if people realize one day that while you were giving 110% to this big project at work, you had to juggle a difficult family matter, and it didn’t impact your work at all. 

Or, if you truly can’t give it your all, make sure to take the initiative and take some of your vacation days before you start to slack at work.

That’s impressive. That will earn you respect. 

9. You surround yourself with respectable people

The people you surround yourself with speak volumes about the kind of person you are. 

If you are surrounded by many high achievers who are all giving their best, people expect you to be similar, which will raise their respect for you. 

By contrast, if people associate you with liars and deceivers, they will only become vary of you. 

10. You don’t gossip or deal with unnecessary drama

As entertaining as gossiping might be, it inevitably stirs some mistrust towards you.

People will ask themselves what you think about them and what you tell others about them when they’re not around. 

It can also create the appearance that you don’t have anything better to do with your time. 

After all, the time you spend gossiping at work others spend doing things worth their paycheck. 

To command respect, don’t participate in the gossip, neither actively nor passively, by listening in. 

Read also: 15 Ways to Spend Your Time Wisely | How to Use Time Better

11. You keep your word

Keeping your word makes you appear in two ways: Honest and reliable.

Don’t appease people with false promises just to get them off your back, and always make sure you are organized enough to fit the additional favor into your life. 

It’s next to impossible to command lasting respect as a notorious liar or by being unreliable. 

So the next time you …

• Promise to send a message by tomorrow; you do so.
• Say you’ll get the task done in a week; you do so.
• Know you can’t do it in a week; you don’t promise them you will.

How many of these things are you already doing? Is there anything you want to stop/start doing?

Also, what do people need to do to earn your respect?

We’re curious to hear from you.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!