Respect, Trust, Loyalty… "Intangibles." Seriously?

It disgusts me when people lump respect, trust and loyalty in with the “soft” aspects of business and leadership. It’s sick that so many people call these “intangibles.”

Before we go any further, ask yourself these important questions:

• What can you possibly accomplish without the respect, trust and loyalty of the people you serve?

• How effective are you as a leader if you don’t have the respect, trust and loyalty of the people who rely on your leadership?

Respect, trust––and loyalty. These are a leaders most valuable assets.

Sadly, most leadership development programs spend little time on how to cultivate these assets. Sure, they talk about them and talk about how important they are, but that’s usually it.

Stories, case studies, data about the importance of respect, trust and loyalty. The books are full of these. That’s fine. It helps––to a certain point.

But how do you do it? How do you actually earn the respect, trust and loyalty of the people we serve. It actually boils down to just two disciplines…

#1 Give first.

Leaders are supposed to lead, right? That means you go first. If you want respect––give it. Trust? Loyalty? Same. Give it first…

And don’t expect a damn thing in return. Seriously!