Rookie CEO, Want Respect? Earn It.

Shaun Black
Aug 23, 2017 · 5 min read

When it comes to leading a team, there’s a fine line between running a tight ship and one that leaks like a sieve.

It’s called Respect.

Respect means, first and foremost, setting the bar high and keeping it high for everyone, including yourself. You want to lead by example first, and you need to be okay with being liked second… if at all.

It means having difficult conversations in the right form, time, and place. It means being able to disagree while keeping integrity intact.

I can’t tell you how many times in my career I’ve seen this concept ignored or missed entirely. There have been times I’ve even been that guy. It’s never pretty when it happens.

You’ve got to earn respect, and you can… by achieving results. How do you get those results? By following these steps.

It’s called sacrifice and I hope you’re prepared to make it.

Anytime I read about work/life balance it makes me chuckle.

Have a young team? Don’t pay attention to those work/life theorists. Unless you’re already a systems master and highly disciplined, those blogs don’t apply to you. They’re referring to you in 10 years if you follow my lead. How can you expect your team to respect you as a leader if you’re not pulling the lion’s share of the weight? If you’re not the hardest working person on your team, then you’re doing it wrong.

Just last Friday my CTO said, “I don’t know how you do it.”

My team understands no one logs more company time than I do. Why shouldn’t I? After all, whose company is it?

When they’re going out on the weekends, I’m up until 11pm on the laptop. During the week, they know I’m awake at 5:30am and work until 11pm most nights. Sure, I find time for yoga, workouts and a few hours of family time.

But when I leave work, I go home …and you’ll probably find me doing more work.

Treat your team like humans — not robots — and value their contributions.

Narcissism doesn’t look good on anyone. You think you’re great? Your team might say otherwise. Humility will get you a lot further than being a self-serving jerk ever will. If your business is succeeding and constantly hitting — or even exceeding — the mark, I can tell you: you’re not accomplishing that on your own. You’re growing, achieving, and taking bigger strides because your team is behind you.

You know what that means? You have a dedicated team. The more you acknowledge the people who work for you, the more they’ll dedicate themselves to the work. Everyone wins.

Let them see the good and (sometimes) the bad.

Most entrepreneurs feel the burden and pressure to lead by example. You want to be perfect, but extend the same “human” courtesy to yourself, too. It’s a great opportunity. It’s ok to show people your good, bad and occasionally the ugly — just make sure there’s a lot more good than bad (and be very careful with the ugly).

My team has seen the ups and sometimes they need to see the downs. When they do, they’ll get a peek of what makes me tick. We practice a form of open book finance and are working to become more transparent than ever. This means not brushing the bad under the nearest rug. Your team is comprised of adults. Treat them that way and they’ll most likely behave that way. The ones that don’t need to go.

Be realistic and listen…

Let’s be honest: No one wakes up when they’re young and says, “Oh, I really want to work in 3rd party logistics or produce brokering.” They recognize it as a means to an end. They have a vision of where they want their life to go and how many years they must work to achieve it.

I know what the vision for a great life is for everyone on my team. In fact, before I hire anyone, I ask these questions:

What motivates you?

Where do you want to be one, five, 10, or 20 years from now?

How can I help you get there?

If I can’t help you get to where you ultimately want to be, then we’re probably not a good fit for each other.

…but don’t accept excuses.

Here’s what my team knows: I don’t care about your bullshit. I don’t care about the office politics. I don’t care about your weekend, or your personal issue with your girlfriend, boyfriend, or family. There is a time and a place for that, and I will gladly listen when that time comes. I’m happy to give advice, but it better not affect your work.

(Sidenote: Beware of those who overshare. While it’s ok to assist in the personal life of your team, once their life becomes a burden it’s best to cut the cord. After all, the subject of this blog is respect. It’s tough to respect someone who is consistently bringing down the team’s morale.)

If you show respect to the company, your teammates, and me, you’re gold in my book. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you.

There is no middle ground when it comes to the entrepreneur’s journey. We’re here for one purpose: to get everyone what they want and to fulfill their dreams. Achieving greatness means holding accountabilities high.


Unless you set clear expectations for your team while being open to collaboration and keeping that respect in mind, you won’t have sustainable success. And if those expectations aren’t ingrained, they’re going to slowly fade. Because remember: at the end of the day, people will do whatever they care about.

If you lead by clear example, they’ll care about what you want them to.


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Shaun Black

Written by

Entrepreneur. Restaurateur. Philanthropist. www.mrshaunblack.com

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