RESPECT is a Two-Way Street - And Someone's Got To Go First

"We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white.?It's our basic human right."?- Aretha Franklin

I did something I rarely do last week. I agreed to a call with someone who had messaged me via LinkedIn and asked if we could connect. They said this was free, no selling. I overcame my doubts that this was a classic bait-and-switch and decided to give it a chance.

Oh well. I could tell a couple minutes in that this was indeed a sales call as it was clear this individual was on a script.

I then did something else I rarely do.

I interrupted his pitch, "I'm on your website right now and I've looked up your CEO's book and podcast, so I'm familiar with what you do. Do you know anything about my work?"

Silence.

I then did one more thing I rarely do.

I said, "We've had many interns in our business. One of our rules was you never get on a phone call with someone until you've done your homework and can reference something recent about that person, so they know they're not just your 9:30 appointment, another in a long list of prospective clients you hope to close."

If you - or someone in your business - is using LinkedIn as a means to sell your services, you might want to do your homework before asking someone to make time for your call.

It's a sign of courtesy, and can help convince people this has the potential to be a mutually-rewarding relationship.

Respect is a two-way street, and someone's got to go first. Why not us?

Thought you might enjoy these quotes. It might be worth printing these, distributing them to your team, and discussing them at a staff meeting to catalyze a conversation on how we can treating each other with the respect we all, want, need and deserve.

30 Quotes on HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT

1.???"The time is always right to do what is right." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. "We've got to be as clear-headed about human beings as possible, because we are still each other's only hope." - James Baldwin

3. “We are different, we are one." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

4. "The world is full of good people. If you can't find one, be one." - Mother Teresa

5. "Anyone who doesn't think there are two sides to an argument is probably in one." - Tongue Fu'ism

6.??“Your future depends on many things, mostly on you.” – Frank Tyger

7.???“Our task is not to fix the blame for the past, it's to fix the course for the future." - John F. Kennedy

8. "Anger is one letter short of danger." - coffee mug slogan

9.???"I wish I could tell you it gets better. It doesn't get better. You get better." - Joan Rivers

10.???“Never be limited by other people's limited imagination." - astronaut Dr. Mae Jamison

11.???“Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you." - Jean-Paul Sartre

12. "Everyone thinks of changing the world; no one thinks of changing himself.” - Leo Tolstoy

13. "Give to every other human being every right you claim for yourself." - Thomas Paine

14.???“The four words 'How would I feel?' are a shortcut to empathy." - Sam Horn

15.?“Life may give you a cactus, you don't have to sit on it." - Joyce Meyer

16.?"We can be right, or we can be happy." - Course in Miracles

17. "In a world where you can be anything, be kind." - Connie Schultz

18.??“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou

19. "We are healthy only to the extent our ideas are humane." - Kurt Vonnegut

20. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

21.?“Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied." - Pearl S. Buck

22.?"It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable." - Sandra Day O'Connor

23.?“May your choices be based on your hopes and not your fears.” Nelson Mandela

24.??“The overall purpose of human communication is - or should be - reconciliation." - M. Scott Peck

25.?“Do something today your future self will thank you for." - Sean Patrick Flannery

26.?“In influencing others, example is not the main thing, it is the only thing." - Albert Schweitzer

27.??“How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

28. "Don't ever forget that you are a citizen of this word, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, free, that you can do every day, civility, respect, kindness, character." - Aaron Sorkin

29. "Anger is sad's bodyguard." - Liza Palmer

30. "Good manners are made of petty sacrifices." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of the gifts of being a human being is we can choose to model civility, set an example of integrity, and treat people with proactive respect and inclusiveness.

And when we do, people are more likely to follow our lead.

And isn't that what we all want. For people to respond in kind?

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Want more ways to give and get respect - on and off the job? Check out Sam Horn's keynotes, training programs and Linkedin Learning video course.