Why Respect Is the Real Leadership Revolution
Scroll through LinkedIn on any given day and you’ll see plenty of buzzwords: vulnerability, authenticity, resilience. All good things—but somewhere along the way, we’ve skipped the most essential ingredient of leadership: respect.
In my proprietary research for The Relatable Leader, surveying 400 professionals across generations, one truth stood taller than all the rest:
When it comes to the leaders people actually want to follow, respect and trust top the list—by a landslide.
It sounds simple, even old-school, but it’s transformational.
Respect is the foundation of psychological safety, innovation, and belonging. It’s what allows authenticity and vulnerability to take root in the first place.
When leaders skip that foundation, the cracks show up fast—burnout, disengagement, and cynicism. But when they start from respect, teams thrive.
Here’s how to bring it back to the center of your leadership:
Listen with curiosity, not assumption. Ask open-ended questions. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk—be present enough to really hear.
Be consistent. Follow through on what you say. Predictability builds trust faster than perfection.
Be fair and equitable. Recognition and feedback should never depend on personality or proximity.
Check your assumptions about generations. Younger employees aren’t “entitled,” and older ones aren’t “resistant.” Everyone wants to feel valued.
Respect isn’t trendy, but it’s timeless.
And in a workplace still healing from disconnection, that makes it revolutionary.
Rachel DeAlto is a leadership keynote speaker and author of The Relatable Leader: Create a Culture of Connection (Post Hill Press, 2025). She helps organizations build trust, engagement, and belonging through relatable leadership.
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