Tuesday, August 5, 2008

RESPECT versus POPULARITY

Respect versus popularity – this is a dilemma we all have to face at work. We want to do a good job, but at the same time we want to be friends with everyone too. And the desire to keep everyone happy can become a weakness.

The truth is, if you’re doing your job properly, you’ll seldom be everyone’s favorite person. But the pay-off comes in the form of a deeper liking and admiration.

Don’t worry about popularity; work on respect. That will take you a lot further in the long run. At work, your most valuable career strategy is not to be liked or popular, but to be effective. With respect, job success can be yours.

But respect is never given for nothing; you earn it by how well you do your work. Winning respect from colleagues and subordinates starts at the very beginning – from day one of our job.

Every decision is either a building block or a stumbling block on the road of career progress. And we should use this time to lay the groundwork by being professional – in other words, be responsive, responsible, innovative, transparent and reliable.

Here are some tips to gain respect at your workplace :

  • Know what you believe in and what you want. Plan how to get it and stick to it. Nothing loses you respect quicker than indecisiveness and inconsistency.
  • Keep your distance. Be friendly but not over familiar. Sharing with colleagues is natural, and the warmth you create helps get the job done. But know where to draw the line. Don’t confide intimate details of your personal or gynecological history. Learn the value of discretion.
  • Don’t share all your dilemmas. Even if you resolve them, you’ll have left a lingering impression that you’re unable to cope with pressure.
  • Be good. Know that you’re good. Self-respect is the key to it all. With that you place a higher value on all your transactions, which pays off in the way people deal with you.
  • Accept that you can’t please all the people all of the time – or even some of the people all of the time.
  • Keep in touch – always know how others are. Don’t ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.
  • Communicate simply and often. A sense of humor can be one of your most effective assets. A well-chosen joke gets home the message more clearly than a hundred homilies.
  • Keep your eye on the objective. Don’t get drawn into colleagues’ personal lives.
  • Keep your head cool. Don’t respond instantly or say yes to everything. A calm presence is an invaluable asset.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well, thanks for the info.. I believe respect doesn't come through force, but u gain it through sincere work you have done to the others. Indirectly, sooner people who gain respect from the other would become popular in the society. Popular in such a way is just a term to state that you are well-known by the other in the society. It doesn’t matter whether you gain it through positive attitude or not. Moreover, some people even gain it through negative manner. Right baba??? :p