Recently featured in The San Diego Union Tribune, Gregg Ward offers an opinion on how to ensure President Biden’s call for civility doesn’t backfire.
During the first day of his presidency, Joe Biden conducted a virtual swearing in of a group of White House appointees over a videoconference call. He then presented them with a very stern warning: “I’m not joking when I say this,” the 46th president of the United States said. “If you’re ever working with me, and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts. Everybody, everybody, is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity.”
Wow! Essentially, President Biden is commanding a culture of respect in his administration and doing so very, very directly. Given the amount of disrespect in political and public discourse we’ve been seeing and hearing in the last few years, this is a breath of fresh air.
And yet it’s not often that leaders make such clear and unequivocal statements about respectful behavior, not to mention what will happen if people don’t comply. This is because many of them don’t value respect, or assume it’s unimportant, or don’t understand how respect is a key driver of partnership, performance and productivity. This is a shame, because respect is a far more important organizational success factor than most people think.
