Core Concepts: The View from Both Sides - The Fall and Rise of Respect
Knowing Self-Aware Leadership Minimalistical
Hello KSKOers
Respect is one of my core values and disrespect really gets my goat. In this week’s article, I share with you some reflections from working on both sides of the respect divide and about how you can generate kinder, more respectful and creative working relationships. Join me in reflecting on my 25 years in the world of work as I share my musings on the meaning of respect.
Read the full article here.
Looking forward to joining you on your learning journey!
1. Respect Is Fundamental and Fragile
Respect is a core human value, yet it's often eroded through tone, body language, exclusion, and subtle behaviours that explicitly or impliedly make others out to be ‘less than’.
2. Disrespect Can Be Subtle, Systemic, and Unspoken
It’s not always loud or obvious, often it's in what's not said, who’s not included, or whose voice gets ignored.
3. Cultural Conditioning Shapes Professional Bias
Early professional environments (like the public sector) can instil a sense of superiority that becomes unconscious bias toward other sectors. And if you don’t know, how would you know?
4. Power Dynamics Influence Respect
When organisations lose power or funding, their stance on collaboration and respect toward others often shifts, not always graciously. Sometimes they have to begrudingly make friends with those they’ve always viewed as ‘less than’.
5. Switching Sides Shifts Perspective
Experiencing both sides of the respect divide reveals hidden assumptions and challenges about value, capability, and hierarchy. But you have to be up for seeing the world through different lenses.
6. Lived Experience Builds Empathy
True understanding and empathy often come only after walking in the shoes of the “other side”. Theory isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to just go and live it!
7. Self-Awareness Is Key to Leadership Growth
Good leadership starts with honest reflection about your own biases, blind spots, and behavioural impact. Be interested in yourself and your relationships enough to want to be better.
8. Collaboration Requires Humility and Curiosity
Working across sectors and with diverse professionals means letting go of ego and being open to different ways of working. But you first have to accept that the way things are done in your sector might not be the ‘only way’.
9. Respect Is a Practice, Not a Position
It’s not about rank, role, or credentials, it’s about how you treat others, build relationships, and show up as a teammate and leader. Reflect on your hard and relational skills, recognise your impact and commit to regulating your behaviour.
The Last Word
Building respectful relationships means being self-aware, open-minded and genuinely valuing what other people bring to the table. It’s about recognising those ingrained biases we all carry and making the effort to challenge them. By showing empathy, being curious about different perspectives, and working together as equals, we can create partnerships that shift from simple tolerance to being truly effective. Respect isn’t a tick box exercise, it’s about appreciating the shared purpose and humanity behind the work we do.
Nia is an expert leader who talks the talk and walks the walk. She is an academically awarded thought leader in self-aware leadership and practices self-aware leadership every single day in her role as a Director in a Children’s Charity.
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