"Will you still respect me in the morning?"
Someone said to me the other day "I respect him, but I don't like him."
I had to think about that... One of my mentors had a great conversation with me about how "like" and "respect" were the same thing but respect was the business word. "Ok," I said. "But what about the grey zone where you pick up the phone to offer advance information or have a side discussion because you like someone? Does "respect" cover that?"
Conclusion: you can respect the folks you like but not necessarily like those you respect.
You don't have to want to take everyone you like home for dinner. There's something likeable about most folks - their tenacity, their directness, their choice of tea! Find that point of connection. One or two points allow you to form a bond for whatever purpose has thrown you together. If you're lucky and it's lots of connection points, the maybe they'll cross the wall to friend.
You just need to enjoy them in the context you know them. Like, respect and trust all grow in the same soil. While it's best to have all 3 for a true relationship in any context - I'm happy to build from 'like'.
No comments:
Post a Comment