There are two basic ways to lead. You can lead by leveraging the earned respect of your colleagues and employees, or you can lead by fear. This sentiment is not to be confused with Machiavelli’s “It is better to be feared than loved” tenant. First, love is not what you are looking for in a business environment, and secondly, it is fickle and can come and go. Respect is the path to successful long-term leadership.
Leading by respect comes when the four primary character principles of integrity, hard work, leading by example and doing the right thing, inspire your co-workers and employees to follow you.
