An Ode To Respect
I give my team the best respect
– at least I did last time I checked.
I greet them when we come to work,
Laugh at their jokes and never smirk.
I’m careful not to shoot down in flames
Their ideas, thoughts, their goals and aims.
I am supportive to the last
Not critical, even when asked.
Respect is about being polite
Hang on there, did I get that right?
I’ve got a problem, I’ll not share
With the perpetrator standing there.
Instead, when it gets all too much
I’ll whisper it to Jane over lunch.
I don’t like conflict or aggression,
I’m far more comfortable with suppression.
From time to time, I wonder though …
Should I bring it up or let it go?
Am I respecting other folks,
Forthright girls and ballsy blokes,
If I don’t give them every chance
To change, and add and to enhance
Can I blame them for inaction
And for my dissatisfaction?
They have the right to my opinion
Respectfully phrased, and honestly given.
Don’t skirt around hard conversation
While seeking others’ approbation.
Being nice is all very well,
But engaging with them is better still!
How better to empower my team
Than to tell them what I really mean?
