For the rest of the summer, we will feature Respect Tips inspired by the Why Respect Matters section of the recently released Respect Effect by Paul Meshanko.

One of the best working relationships I ever had was with a colleague who always sought my opinion. In turn, I always sought her opinion too. Because of this mutual opinion seeking, we both ended up feeling respected.

I knew if I was working on a project, I could use her expertise to help me out. There were times when I had overlooked details that she had more experience with and was able to catch and correct. Similarly, when she sought my opinion, I was able to provide insights and feedback for her project. By building that mutual trust and sharing opinions on each others projects, we developed a professional relationship based on respect.

What you can do

The next time you get stumped while working on a project, seek someone else’s opinion. They might have just the answer you are looking for and in turn they’ll get a boost of respect.