Leadership That Works: Building Respect, Trust and Accountability

1. Reduce dependence on individual employees
The meeting began with a discussion about managing a difficult or “toxic” employee who may be responsible for a significant proportion of the company’s revenue. The main conclusion was that the problem should not be treated as an issue with only one employee.
The business should:
• Introduce proper systems, such as an ERP or CRM system.
• Establish clear approval processes, policies and KPIs.
• Avoid giving one employee exclusive control over customers, information or revenue.
• Distribute customer relationships and important responsibilities across a team.
• Cross-train employees so the business can continue when someone is absent or leaves.
• Use experienced employees to develop less-experienced staff.
• Address the underlying organisational weakness so the same problem does not recur with another employee.

2. Build the company’s brand
For a small or new business, customers may initially trust the founder more than the company name. The advice was to connect the founder’s reputation and personality to the business brand at the beginning, while gradually developing a brand that can stand independently.

3. Being liked versus being respected
The central topic of the meeting was whether a leader should prioritise being liked or being respected. The general conclusion was: A good leader should ideally be both liked and respected, but respect should come first. Being liked was associated with being friendly, approachable, caring, compassionate and easy to communicate with. However, liking is largely emotional and can change quickly. Being respected was associated with competence, integrity, discipline, consistency, fairness, accountability, strong work ethics and the ability to make difficult decisions.

4. Risks of prioritising popularity
Participants warned that leaders who concentrate too much on being liked may:
• Avoid difficult conversations.
• Fail to discipline employees appropriately.
• Allow employees to ignore boundaries.
• Apply rules inconsistently.
• Create favouritism.
• Find it difficult to hold friends or popular employees accountable.
• Lose authority when unpopular decisions must be made.
Employees may like a leader without respecting their authority or standards. By contrast, employees can respect a leader even when they do not personally like them.

5. How leaders earn genuine respect
Respect should not be based only on a job title or fear of punishment. Leaders earn meaningful respect when they:
• Apply rules equally to everyone.
• Follow the same standards they expect from employees.
• Accept responsibility for their own mistakes.
• Demonstrate competence and good judgement.
• Communicate expectations clearly.
• Make difficult decisions when necessary.
• Maintain professional boundaries.
• Treat employees fairly and consistently.
• Lead by example. Participants distinguished between positional respect, which is given because someone holds an office, and earned respect, which develops because of the leader’s conduct and character.

6. Employees need to feel valued
Although respect was considered the priority, the group agreed that employees perform better when they feel valued and included. Leaders should:
• Listen to employees’ views, particularly those working directly with customers or operations.
• Show appreciation for employees’ contributions.
• Ask about employees’ wellbeing.
• Be approachable when employees face personal or workplace difficulties.
• Help employees understand the company’s purpose and direction.
• Give employees a sense of belonging and ownership.
• Explain how their work contributes to the organisation’s success. This does not mean removing standards or authority. It means combining accountability with empathy.

7. Motivation involves more than salary
Employees may be encouraged to make additional effort through:
• Recognition and appreciation.
• Bonuses and other incentives.
• Promotion opportunities.
• Professional certifications.
• Training and mentoring.
• Opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues.
• Greater responsibility. • A clear career-development path.
• A workplace where reasonable mistakes can become learning opportunities. A leader who is respected may secure reliable performance, while a leader who is also genuinely liked may encourage greater loyalty and voluntary effort.

8. Avoid fear-based leadership
The group discussed the difference between leaders who command respect through competence and those who create fear through aggression or excessive strictness. Fear may produce short-term compliance, but it may not produce commitment, creativity or genuine productivity. Leaders should influence employees rather than intimidate them.

9. Organisational culture must be intentional
Workplace behaviour is influenced by wider cultural attitudes towards age, authority, status and hierarchy. However, businesses should not simply accept harmful behaviour as “the culture”. Each organisation should deliberately establish a culture that promotes: • Mutual respect at every level.
• Service rather than superiority.
• Teamwork.
• Accountability.
• Open communication.
• Employee participation.
• Professional boundaries.
• Fair treatment regardless of position.
This may be particularly important when managing younger employees, including Generation Z, who may respond better to collaborative, transparent and respectful leadership. Overall conclusion The strongest position from the discussion was that respect is the foundation of effective leadership, while being liked can strengthen relationships and increase motivation. Leaders should not pursue popularity at the expense of standards. They should create clear systems, treat employees fairly, demonstrate integrity and competence, and also ensure that employees feel heard, supported and connected to the organisation’s purpose.