If you don’t feel respected, you won’t be engaged in your work, says Linda Hill, professor at Harvard Business School
Everybody deserves equal respect at work. You would want to be valued at the place you work. Your superiors should trust you and you need to be appreciated for your efforts. You may not be given all of this unless you ask for them. According to Michael Watkins, the chairman of Genesis Advisers and a professor at IMD, the respect from your boss has many layers.
Firstly, your boss should consider you as “someone worth keeping and someone [your boss] wants to have as part of his team. Secondly, as time passes you would have to prove that you are an employee who deserves to get “interesting and challenging assignments.” Lastly, you need to be viewed as an employee your boss “wants to invest in and develop because he thinks you have a bright future.”
Everybody wants respect but you need to work to prove that you deserve it
How can you ask for respect at work?
1. Know your responsibilities well
Needless to say, let your work speak for you. Understand your responsibilities well so that you can perform accordingly. Watkins comments that during the initial days of your new job, ask your boss questions like “What do I need to learn and how can I most quickly learn it?” Then give your best to “demonstrate that you’re getting up to speed quickly.” He suggests,
Being seen as a fast learner can be a big driver of credibility
2. Observe and adapt from your surroundings
Your boss will continue to look for evidence to know whether you are trustworthy. Continue to learn how to gain and maintain his trust. You need not be a part of the politic but you should be aware of it. You need to be accepted as a part of the team.
3. Bond with your teammates
You would not be working individually so it is necessary to build a relationship with your teammates. Watkins observes, “Your boss is making assessments through direct observation and also through other people [via] feedback.” He advises you to reach out to your colleagues by offering them support.
Doing so “creates a virtuous cycle,”
he says
4. Be bold to disagree
According to Hill, avoiding conflicts with your boss is not the best way to gain respect. You should speak up your point of view even if it differs with your boss.
You need to be courageous enough to bring it up to the boss when you disagree
But do it privately instead of announcing in public.
5. Look forward to feedback
Asking for feedback has more than one advantage. You will definitely know what your boss thinks about your performance. If your boss hasn’t been paying attention till now, you will be able to help to recognise your achievements. Watkins says that new hires in particular “tend to get less early feedback because there is a reluctance” to offer criticism as someone is just finding her feet.
As a result, people can get off on the wrong track quickly
6. Reflect on yourself
Just getting feedback isn’t enough. Unless you work towards your improvement you would not win respect from your boss. Create a win-win partnership with your boss.
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