"How would your life be different if...You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day...You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey."
Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
I have been facilitating the development of strategic plans for my clients over the last twenty years. Part of my process includes the creation of six to eight core values that will act like a "rudder on a ship" when an organization needs to make a decision. For example, while working with a school district recently, their number one core value was safety. This value was ranked as their number one criteria when making a decision. In other words, when it came time to cut expenses, as every district does, the safety of students, teachers, administrators and the community came first when engaging with the school.
This is a unique example because most of the core value statements I help develop in an organization have respect as their number one core value. Let's look at this word respect from the numerous definitions created by my clients over the years.
Respect - believing in each other and valuing each other
Respect- being fair and respectful of every function so that it becomes a way of life.
Respect- showing compassion and empathy to all
Respecting the dignity of every person and extend compassion to all
Respect- by understanding differences and sharing information equally we are able to earn and show respect for each other
I believe it is important for each organization to define the word "respect" from their own perspective rather than be told what "respect" should mean for them by an outside consultant. With that said, I want to provide some insight about the word "respect" from an organization called IR Ingersoll Rand. A friend and past workshop participant of mine had just received training from IR on building respect in an organization and he shared their definition of respect with me:
"Respect is an active process of non-judgmentally engaging people from all backgrounds with the intent to increase my awareness and my effectiveness. It is demonstrated in a manner that esteems both myself and those (others) with whom I interact."
This definition is powerful because it mentions the need to be active in this process of showing respect. You need to seek out others with differing viewpoints and beliefs by engaging them in conversation. Merely being tolerant of others is not showing respect because it is passive behavior. Respect requires exploring the differences we have with others without judging those differences and seeking to learn or broaden your experiences by that interaction.
Question for You:
How do you show respect for others? Do you believe just listening to them without disagreeing is respect? Do you often avoid those whose opinions differ from yours? Do you listen to others while also forming your argument for why they are wrong?
Action for You:
This week purposefully and intentionally seek out someone whom you know shares a different perspective from you. Actively listen to the reasons for their viewpoints without forming judgment. Ask yourself if there is something you can learn from this different viewpoint that will allow you to be more effective in your life.
"It's not so much the journey that's important; as is the way that we treat those we encounter and those around us, along the way"
Jeremy Aldana
