John Maxwell's Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: The Law of Respect

THE LAW OF RESPECT
       People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves
If you want to influence others you need to be respected as a leader. "The Leader must know, must know he knows, and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those around him that he knows." When a group gathers for the first time, leaders tend to look to go their own way. They begin to think in terms of where they want to go and who they want to take with them. Soon people change direction to follow the strongest leaders. People naturally align and follow leaders stronger than themselves.
The Top Ways Leaders Gain Others' Respect:

• Natural Leadership Ability

      --But one of the greatest pitfalls for natural leaders is relying on talent alone.

• Respect For Others

      --When people show respect for others, especially for people who have less power or a lower position than theirs, they gain respect from others.

• Courage

      --Good leaders do what's right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of great danger, and under the brunt of relentless criticism.

• Success

      --When leaders are successful at their own endeavors, people respect them.

• Loyalty

      --When leaders stick with a team until the job is done, remain loyal to the organization when the going gets rough, and look out for followers even when it hurts them, people respect them and their actions

• Value Added To Others

      --One measure of leadership is the calibur of people who choose to follow you. The second measure is see how people respond when you ask for commitment or change.

"Success is having the people who know me the best, respect me the most."
                                                                     John Maxwell