Page 232 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

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Implementing the RESPECT Model

work that needs to be done to fulfill the mission and vision of
the organization. Many leaders, however, assume that respect
should be automatically bestowed upon them based on their
position and achievements. In truth, leaders must earn respect
by treating those around them with RESPECT every day. Unfor-
tunately, most leaders not only underestimate the importance
of showing respect to others but also overestimate the extent
to which they do so. Given that leaders rarely receive direct and
honest feedback from others in their organization regarding
their interpersonal skills, they remain ignorant of their behavior
and its negative impact on their employees.
Most of us are resistant to the idea that we need to change,
because doing so suggests that there is something “wrong” with
how we are now. Psychologists James Prochaska and Carlo DiCle-
mente developed the Stages of Change model, which explains
the stages that people go through during a change effort. A key
concept in the model is “readiness to change,” which refers to
one’s willingness to acknowledge his or her need to change and
receptivity to receiving help. The model has been widely used
in the field of health psychology to help people change their
behaviors around such issues as smoking, drinking, and drug
use. Successful treatment depends on increasing an individual’s
readiness to change, beginning with awareness of the problem
followed by admitting that the problem exists. The more that
someone comes to accept that his or her current behavior is
unhealthy, the more that person will be receptive to getting the
help he or she needs.
Working with leaders at all levels, I have found this model
extremely helpful for raising their awareness and increasing
their receptivity to RESPECT training. As a starting point, I take
leaders at all levels through a 360-degree RESPECT Leadership
Assessment, which provides behaviorally focused feedback on