The desire to be respected is a basic human need but demonstrating it isn’t so easy.

Respect was the topic of Tocci’s first 2018 company-wide workshop.

Respect is a feeling of admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

At Tocci we are big on subject matter experts. We know who is best at spreadsheets, construction feasibility studies, BIM, steel frame construction and countless other areas of knowledge required to deliver a project. We show our respect to our SMEs by asking for their assistance on a daily basis. We honor the most admired among them by conferring upon them Humble, Hungry and Smart awards that recognize their talent and expertise and, as importantly, their willingness to share knowledge to benefit the company.

Absolutely, we respect and gratefully acknowledge each other’s contributions to project success and corporate growth.

But when it comes to behavior, we, and society as a whole, could improve.

Respect is showing consideration for others.

We all feel disrespected when an e-mail isn’t answered, when meeting participants aren’t prepared, and when we don’t receive needed input to finish our work. Usually the reason is time. We relegate items/tasks for others a lower priority. “I’ll answer that e-mail tomorrow. Meeting prep, I’ll wing it. Can’t now; maybe later.”

The one minute someone doesn’t take to answer a colleague’s question means that teammate can’t finish a task. One task not finished has an impact on their timely contribution to larger initiatives. The 15 minutes one doesn’t take to prepare for a meeting means the meeting isn’t as dynamic as it could be, so less robust action items than there should be. The 30 minutes one doesn’t take to look at the work submitted for comment or approval means the team is deprived of critical support, insight and direction. When we are unresponsive, we create a perception of disrespect, which in turn disregards larger objectives and goals

To achieve our high-performance, lean execution goals, to realize “cool calm constructed”, respect should be a priority. Let’s invite courtesy to take up permanent residence in our inner being. Courtesy is cool. Courtesy can calm. Courtesy is constructive.