Earn Respect to Build a Strong Company Culture

When it comes to leadership, many people ask: Would you rather be feared or liked? But neither of those should be your goal. The true answer—the one that actually drives strong teams and effective organizations—is respect. Earning respect as a leader is the foundation of a powerful company culture, one where people trust you, align with your values, and follow your lead because they believe in you, not because they have to.

Leadership That Scales a Company

Once your company crosses a certain threshold—say around a million dollars per year—your success no longer depends on your individual effort. It depends on how well you lead others. Scaling requires learning to succeed through people. That means developing leadership skills, improving communication, and maintaining a high level of integrity that earns genuine respect.

Leadership will never be easy. Difficult conversations, personal development, and adapting your leadership style to fit different personalities—it all takes effort. But this is the path to sustainable growth and a thriving company culture.

The Biggest Mistake: Wanting to Be Liked

Early on, when your team is small, you might hire peers—people similar to you in interests and personality. It’s easy to become close friends. But friendship has limits when it comes to leadership. When your primary goal is to be liked, you avoid tough conversations, fail to hold people accountable, and eventually weaken the very culture you’re trying to build.

It’s fine to have a good relationship with your team, but there’s a line between being friendly and being someone’s best friend. True leaders maintain enough distance to make objective decisions and give honest feedback when it’s needed.

The Opposite Trap: Being Feared

On the other hand, some leaders swing too far in the opposite direction—they become distant, intimidating, or overly strict. I’ve made this mistake myself. When you wall yourself off emotionally, people might fear you, but fear doesn’t inspire great work. Fear creates compliance, not commitment.

The Balance: Earning Respect

What you should aim for is respect. A respected leader has authority without arrogance, empathy without weakness. When people respect you, they trust your decisions and believe in your direction. You don’t have to demand loyalty—it’s given.

So, how do you earn that kind of respect? Through trust.

How to Build Trust and Earn Respect

Trust doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built through time, vulnerability, and integrity. Just like in personal relationships, professional trust grows through consistent, honest actions. There are three key ways to tell the truth and earn respect from your team:

1. Be Vulnerable About Your Decisions and Plans

Being vulnerable doesn’t mean oversharing or revealing every personal struggle. It means being transparent about your decision-making. When you roll out a new plan, admit if you’re uncertain. You might say,

“I’ve put in the research and this is the direction I believe is best. I’m not 100% sure, but it’s the most strategic step forward.”

That kind of honesty shows confidence and humility. Your team sees that you’ve thought things through and are willing to own the outcome—success or failure.

2. Do the Right Thing—Always

Integrity is the cornerstone of leadership. Your team watches everything you do. They’ll lose respect for you the second they see you prioritize profit over people. Always choose the ethical path, even when it costs more time or money. When your team sees you consistently doing the right thing—treating customers well, protecting employees, and owning mistakes—they’ll follow your example.

3. Have the Tough Conversations

Avoiding conflict erodes respect. Address issues head-on. When someone’s behavior isn’t aligned with your mission or values, let them know immediately. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Tough conversations don’t make you feared or disliked—they make you respected. People want boundaries. They want clarity. When you hold people accountable, you build a company culture of trust and excellence.

Respect Is the Core of Company Culture

A healthy company culture isn’t built on being the “cool boss” or the “tough boss.” It’s built on leaders who are respected because they tell the truth, lead with integrity, and hold the line when things get hard. When respect becomes the standard, everything else—communication, performance, retention—improves naturally.

So next time you face a leadership challenge, ask yourself:
“Am I trying to be liked or respected?”
Then do the hard thing. Be honest. Be fair. Be consistent. Respect follows truth—and truth builds culture.

Try harder.

🎙 Show Notes

• 00:30 – The real leadership question: feared, liked, or respected?

• 01:00 – Why scaling a company depends on leadership, not effort

• 02:00 – The mistake of wanting to be liked too much

• 03:00 – The opposite mistake: being feared as a leader

• 03:50 – Why respect is the foundation of effective company culture

• 04:20 – Earning trust through truth and integrity

• 05:00 – Three ways to tell the truth and gain respect

  • Be vulnerable about your plans and decisions

  • Do the right thing—integrity builds trust

  • Have the tough conversations to set boundaries

• 06:50 – How respect strengthens company culture

• 07:10 – Closing thoughts: why truth and trust always win