In life, irrespective of the professional path you choose for yourself, respect has to be earned. Everyone of us, regardless of our backgrounds, has to earn their stripes to gain the respect of their peers, bosses, clients, friends and family. This depends solely on you as a person, to showcase to the world with your actions and character, who you are, and what you stand for. There is no room for any sense of entitlement, because your ego can be the fastest route to your downfall. You may have achieved worldly personal success according to your aspirations ,but if you have not been able to earn the respect of those who work side by side with you on adaily basis, the question to ask is , has it really been worth it? All sorts of options are open to us to acheive what we want in life. However, we need to be very careful with the path we choose to walk on. Sometimes, minor lapses can turn out to be detrimental to our success in the long run.

In the world of entrepreneurship, our ability to execute and hold it together, in ‘down’ times, are a true test of character.

• Respect is earned when those around you know that you have the capability to get things done competently whenever the need arises.

• Respect is earned when you are able to pull a team, on the vertge of falling, together.

• Respect is earned when you are capable of working cooperatively with people you may not care for.

• Respect is earned when you are able to steer clear of the grey areas, in the face of temptation.

• Respect is earned when you display your level of passion and commitment for what you believe in.

• Respect is earned when you are brave enough to admit, you are wrong.

• Respect is earned when you make sacrifices to help others get ahead in life.

• Respect is earned when you say what you mean, and mean what you say.

These are just some of the lessons that I have learned on my short journey as an entrepreneur . Earning the respect of the people you work with takes a life to learn and earn, but it takes only a few mis-steps to lose it all. It is one of your most valuable assets, and when earned, can prove to be the difference between success and failure in every sense of the word.

If you would like to add to the above list, based on your experiences. Please write suggestions below and I will update the post accordingly. Thank you.