Blog

Be Respectful, but for the right reason

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10-25-10

In the age of self-help, self-promotion, and self-everything-else, it seems that even basic human principles lose meaning.

In this blog post by Manager Tools (which I highly respect and listen to their podcasts) called Be Respectful, it either argues or forwards the argument from Wired Magazine as follows:

An article in Wired magazine reminds us that when we are meeting new people, we should always be respectful. The carpet cleaner we’re meeting might be the MD’s brother-in-law. In our How to Build a Network cast, we recommend you are indiscriminate in your relationship building for this very reason.

Do we really need such a reason to be respectful? This seems like the reason of last resort – to the person who just can’t be respectful, teach them that it’s in their best interest.

How about being respectful because that’s the honorable thing to do, the moral thing to do, the right thing to do? Do we need any reason beyond that?

Comments

  • Dead-on, Jamie. There should be no ulterior reason to be respectful other than that it’s the right thing to do within itself. If there is, one’s moral compass needs recalibration.

    Mark Welch October 25, 2010 at 12:08 pm
  • Dead-on, Jamie. There should be no ulterior reason to be respectful other than that it’s the right thing to do within itself. If there is, one’s moral compass needs recalibration.

    Mark Welch October 25, 2010 at 12:08 pm
  • Dead-on, Jamie. There should be no ulterior reason to be respectful other than that it’s the right thing to do within itself. If there is, one’s moral compass needs recalibration.

    Mark Welch October 25, 2010 at 12:08 pm
  • Nicely said. Respect isn’t contingent upon perceived social status nor upon possible benefits gained by behaving decently.

    Sue Harrell October 25, 2010 at 12:11 pm
  • Nicely said. Respect isn’t contingent upon perceived social status nor upon possible benefits gained by behaving decently.

    Sue Harrell October 25, 2010 at 12:11 pm
  • Nicely said. Respect isn’t contingent upon perceived social status nor upon possible benefits gained by behaving decently.

    Sue Harrell October 25, 2010 at 12:11 pm
  • Everyone beat me to the punch on this one. It is just the right thing to do.

    Matt Wrye October 25, 2010 at 1:19 pm
  • Everyone beat me to the punch on this one. It is just the right thing to do.

    Matt Wrye October 25, 2010 at 1:19 pm
  • Everyone beat me to the punch on this one. It is just the right thing to do.

    Matt Wrye October 25, 2010 at 1:19 pm
  • Unfortunately, it is the sign of the times we live in….always remind someone of how they are to treat another human being….

    Justin Tomac October 25, 2010 at 4:40 pm
  • Unfortunately, it is the sign of the times we live in….always remind someone of how they are to treat another human being….

    Justin Tomac October 25, 2010 at 4:40 pm
  • Unfortunately, it is the sign of the times we live in….always remind someone of how they are to treat another human being….

    Justin Tomac October 25, 2010 at 4:40 pm
  • Wired Magazine has got it wrong…and probably has no clue why they’re wrong.

    Everyone possesses an inherent (human) dignity. This should be the primary reason that one deserves respect and why we should pay them respect. It has little to do with what a person may or may not later do, directly or indirectly, for you.

    Mark R Hamel October 25, 2010 at 4:46 pm
  • Wired Magazine has got it wrong…and probably has no clue why they’re wrong.

    Everyone possesses an inherent (human) dignity. This should be the primary reason that one deserves respect and why we should pay them respect. It has little to do with what a person may or may not later do, directly or indirectly, for you.

    Mark R Hamel October 25, 2010 at 4:46 pm
  • Wired Magazine has got it wrong…and probably has no clue why they’re wrong.

    Everyone possesses an inherent (human) dignity. This should be the primary reason that one deserves respect and why we should pay them respect. It has little to do with what a person may or may not later do, directly or indirectly, for you.

    Mark R Hamel October 25, 2010 at 4:46 pm
  • Jamie,

    of course you’re right. We would hope that everyone would respect every other person, just because they are human and on the planet at the same time as us. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that not everyone feels that way. Hopefully, if we can get one person to a place of respect through the door of self-interest, that’s one more person in the right space.

    I’m pleased to see how many of your readers are already there and don’t need to be persuaded. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

    Wendii

    Wendii October 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm
  • Jamie,

    of course you’re right. We would hope that everyone would respect every other person, just because they are human and on the planet at the same time as us. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that not everyone feels that way. Hopefully, if we can get one person to a place of respect through the door of self-interest, that’s one more person in the right space.

    I’m pleased to see how many of your readers are already there and don’t need to be persuaded. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

    Wendii

    Wendii October 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm
  • Jamie,

    of course you’re right. We would hope that everyone would respect every other person, just because they are human and on the planet at the same time as us. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that not everyone feels that way. Hopefully, if we can get one person to a place of respect through the door of self-interest, that’s one more person in the right space.

    I’m pleased to see how many of your readers are already there and don’t need to be persuaded. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

    Wendii

    Wendii October 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm
  • What you sow… you reap. So if you want respect… give respect.

    Richard Dennis October 26, 2010 at 11:16 am
  • What you sow… you reap. So if you want respect… give respect.

    Richard Dennis October 26, 2010 at 11:16 am
  • What you sow… you reap. So if you want respect… give respect.

    Richard Dennis October 26, 2010 at 11:16 am
  • We can and should base our morals on reason. If we take a simply agreed upon objective such as the well-being of all people, we can evaluate moral claims based on their support for that objective. Respect for people creates a better society, for a number of reasons. By showing that respect for others is a win-win, the Manager Tools guys are actually helping to create an incentive to actively pursue opportunities to demonstrate this good behavior.

    matt mcknight October 28, 2010 at 12:01 am
  • We can and should base our morals on reason. If we take a simply agreed upon objective such as the well-being of all people, we can evaluate moral claims based on their support for that objective. Respect for people creates a better society, for a number of reasons. By showing that respect for others is a win-win, the Manager Tools guys are actually helping to create an incentive to actively pursue opportunities to demonstrate this good behavior.

    matt mcknight October 28, 2010 at 12:01 am
  • We can and should base our morals on reason. If we take a simply agreed upon objective such as the well-being of all people, we can evaluate moral claims based on their support for that objective. Respect for people creates a better society, for a number of reasons. By showing that respect for others is a win-win, the Manager Tools guys are actually helping to create an incentive to actively pursue opportunities to demonstrate this good behavior.

    matt mcknight October 28, 2010 at 12:01 am