The Entity of Respect
By
Lee Zimmerman
Following my article, “The Age of the Perpetually Entitled,” there was a
common theme to the emails that I received. The point made in these emails was
that most, if not all, of the “entitled” lack respect yet expect to be respected
by their peers. This is a common and recurring issue in athletics and in the
workplace.
Respect is something that is earned over duration of time. How is respect
earned? It is earned by showing up on time, listening intently, displaying a
solid work ethic, and being thorough in all that you do on a daily basis. “On
time” means arriving five to ten minutes before your shift or training session
begins, not be-bopping in while everyone around you is already training or
working. When beginning a new job, you should clearly know what is expected of
you, and if you don’t know, ask. In other words, know your role. Don’t sit and
wait for everyone to show you what to do as if you’re four-years-old learning
skills for the very first time.
Respect is also earned by going above and beyond what is expected of you
without expectation of anything in return for doing it. This also means that you
shouldn’t stand around bitching, complaining, and making statements such as,
“That’s not my job.” It means that occasionally you will have to perform duties
that are outside your scope of responsibility.
My boss earned my instant respect by helping me do a job that was above and
beyond both of our job descriptions. We work in a hospital health and wellness
center, and one of our members fell ill (this happens often enough). In short,
he dropped a huge mound of poop on our carpeted floor while trying to get to the
bathroom. He made a mess of our floor, and worse, he made a mess of himself.
Together, my boss and I cleaned it up right away and helped this man as if he
were our own parent because he is someone’s parent. We thought about how we
would want our parents to be treated under such circumstances. Had we instead
waited for housekeeping staff to arrive to do this job, other folks would have
most likely stepped into this mess and tracked it all over the building.
In short, we didn’t waste time complaining about it, pouting, or trying to
find someone else to pass the job on to. We simply got it done. We earned the
respect of one another and the rest of our staff, and our members all watched
how such a situation was handled. All of our staff respects our boss because
there is absolutely nothing that we are asked to do that he wouldn’t do himself.
That is a huge way to earn respect.
In the workplace, like the gym, respect is earned through hard work and by
treating others with the respect that you’d like to be the recipient of. There
is a huge difference between having respect for someone or something and
treating that someone or something with respect. You don’t have to have respect
for someone to treat them with respect. Being adult enough to openly state your
feelings face to face is a huge way to earn respect.
I had a coworker whom I absolutely couldn’t stand. He was the embodiment of
everything that I despise in the workplace. I sat him down face to face, looked
him in the eye, and said, “I don’t like you. I don’t care if you don’t like me.
I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make progress and help people who are
in need of our services. Unless it has to do with our job, we have absolutely
nothing to say to each other.” I got his rapt attention with this opening
statement, and from there, I directly outlined our job expectations. From that
day on, I had his respect because I didn’t run around behind his back telling
everyone but him how I felt about him and his lack of ethic. I dealt with him
directly, and I’m sure it was appreciated because we were able to coexist.
Further, my coworkers saw how I handled working and coexisting with him and were
impressed by my frankness. This is an example of how to earn respect by not
acting like a child but instead directly addressing an issue of clashing
personalities and work ethics.
Hard work and taking pride in a job well done almost seems like a lost art
today. This is mostly because of the respect factor. To earn the respect of your
coworkers or training partners, show up on time, quit complaining, put the needs
of your group or organization above yourself, be a better listener (too many
people love to listen to themselves and leave no room to hear anything that
others are telling them), admit when there is something you don’t have the
answer to rather than bullshit your way through it, and treat others with
respect. The aforementioned is the surest way to earn respect!
Lee Zimmerman has been and still is completing in powerlifting for the
last sixteen years. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science and is CSCS
and PES certified. He trains many populations including athletes, cardiac
patients, and fitness enthusiasts and has been in the field for almost twenty
years. In other words, Lee is experienced enough to know the value of respect
and how to earn it. Thanks for reading his article. If you either like it or
hate it, email him at thgr8st1@aol.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
