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Do you have to be serious to gain respect at work?
Business requires serious work, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Whether you want to bring fun into your workplace is a choice, but the deeper layer of why people are afraid to have fun at work is the belief that you can only garner respect in the workplace when you are serious… and if you’re not serious, you’ll be disrespected or disrespect others. This idea begs the question: Is seriousness a prerequisite to earning respect?
This idea that “I have to show seriousness to be respected” is a flawed leadership style. It isn’t human. It belongs to the past and should never come back. This archaic style of command-and-control leadership that’s all about seriousness no longer serves us. Nobody wants to be subjected to an authoritative style of leadership that rules in power and fear, especially in the workplace.
Fear and respect are two very different things. Fear is forced and means “to be afraid of” while respect is earned and means “to admire or look up to.” Leaders often project seriousness to demand respect. However, if people follow you because you are known for your seriousness, it’s more likely that they fear you, not because they respect you.
