This may sound like an exercise akin to patting your head and rubbing your tummy, but I am quite serious about this seemingly simple concept. A reader recently sent me this note illustrating the lack of awareness and kindness towards others. Perhaps we can all learn from this reader’s questions: “I really enjoy your column. Thanks for the great suggestions for the New Year, which I intend to use. One thing that maybe you could consider writing about is the following: It really bothers me that many people today seem [...]

Earlier this month, I posed a question to our readers regarding our respect tip series. I wanted to know what were their respect tips. From the couple responses I got, I chose to highlight Teresa’s this week. In her comment, she mentioned how although everyone seems to be in a hurry, it wouldn’t hurt to say “please” and “thank you” every now again, instead of simply demanding something be done. She’s right. They are simple phrases that we often forget to utter and ones that can make a huge difference [...]

The other day I was stopped in traffic behind a car that had a bumper sticker that read, “Tolerance – Believe In It.” Maybe, you’ve seen it before. As you can see it’s purple (that color we associate with diversity apparently) and tolerance is spelled out using different religious symbols to embody that yes, we are tolerant, because we are displaying everyone’s religion - at least all the major ones! As I’ve said before, tolerance is great but respect is so much better. Tolerance is passive, whereas respect is active. If I tolerate you, [...]

The other day I was listening to the radio and heard an ad for a local bank. While the ad wasn’t too memorable, the following phrase describing the relationship with their customers was: “We treat customers how they want to be treated.” We have all heard about the Golden Rule, where we are are supposed to treat others how we’d like to be treated. The only thing wrong with this is that it is all about us and not the person we are dealing with. Say What? While the Platinum [...]

Workplace violence is no laughing matter. In fact, it is becoming an all too familiar occurrence in today’s workplace. But not all workplace violence is physical and much of it is now emotionally charged, like bullying and gossiping. During this short video, Paul Meshanko, our managing partner and Tom Green, VP of Human Resources at Medical Mutual of Ohio discuss the power of respect, plus other proactive strategies and approaches to take before workplace violence becomes an issue in your organization.

“Organizations that truly leverage difference cultivate the capabilities to engage with and learn from diverse stakeholders, including employees, customers, partners, and communities.”  - Martin Davidson, The End of Diversity As We Know It I first saw mention of The End of Diversity As We Know It on Twitter during the fall. As someone who dislikes the traditional notion of diversity, I was intrigued by the title. I contacted Martin Davidson the author begging for a review copy. I just knew it was something I wanted to share with our readers, and I was right! According to Davidson [...]

About six months ago, I created a new series here on the blog to focus on actionable respect tips. These tips may have seemed obvious to many of us, but they were also intended to be reminders for us all. Too often, we get so immersed in our busy lives that we forget to pay attention to  these so-called “niceties.” But more than a “nicety,” respect has become imperative to how we interact and work with one another. That’s why I want to find out from you. What is YOUR respect tip? What are [...]

I admit I am a bit of a location snob. Having grown up in a large suburb 15 minutes from the city, then living in an actual city for most of my 20s, I am little biased when it comes to anything beyond those places. That’s where my comfort zone is, and I am fully aware of the limitations it puts on me! So when I was offered to do some Connecting with Respect work in a less than urban or even suburban area, I was kind of nervous, but [...]

The year is coming to an end and number crunching is underway. Final results show that your company will break numerous records this year for profitability. Mr. CEO it is time for you to plan your investor call and all hands staff meeting to share the news. What message will you deliver? Who will you thank for the success? What path will you set for 2012? Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints broke the record for NFL single season passing yards on Monday Night Football. The record stood [...]

“A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.” ~ Unknown The most effective leaders don’t use words to lead, they use their actions. Think about it. Who, as a leader, has influenced you the most in your life or career? Do you remember them more for the words they spoke to you or the life they led? It could be a bit a both but probably their actions were more memorable in the end. We can all say that we want to be a good leader, we [...]