In case you’ve been living under a rock, the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, died at age 76, following reports that she was gravely ill. She leaves a lasting legacy with her powerful anthem “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” which, whenever I work with a team, this chart-topping hit inevitably comes to mind. I have even had a team break out in song over this simple word!
If I could have a dollar for every time someone tells me that teamwork is all about RESPECT, then I would be a millionaire! Seriously. Respect is at the core of high functioning teams – and the lack of respect between team members is often times the cause of poorly performing teams.
So what, exactly is RESPECT? Well, if I consult the dictionary, it says “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.”
Notice, it does NOT say “you need to love each other.” No! It’s about respecting the person, their abilities, their ideas, and their contributions to the team. And when you can do that, magic happens on a team.
All that one is asking for on a team is a little respect. Or as Aretha says:
What you want
Baby, I got it
What you need
Do you know I got it?
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect when you get home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home
(Just a little bit) mister (just a little bit).
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CPF, CSP is a high-stakes meeting facilitator and professional panel moderator. She’s been facilitating teams of executives and managers in making better decisions and achieving greater results for over 20 years. She is the author of the award-winning book, Boring to Bravo: Proven Presentation Techniques to Engage, Involve and Inspire Audiences to Action.
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