There is one behavior that underlies all good leadership: treating everyone with respect. It’s the fundamental foundation of any relationship, and yet many managers struggle to express it.

Data we collected in 2022 from 4,849 employees indicated that only 4% felt disrespected, whereas 86% felt respected. At first blush, this sounds encouraging. Those may seem like good numbers. But, in our view, 4% is far too high. That’s roughly one out of 25 colleagues who feel they are not respected that they don’t belong, or perhaps even feel inferior. It’s hard to imagine that people who feel this way are able to do their best work or reach their potential.

How can managers and leaders demonstrate respect more consistently? Our research gives some hints on the everyday actions that increase feelings of respect.

The Behaviors that Generate the Most Respect

We generated correlation coefficients between individual behaviors and ratings from their followers on respect. These coefficients measure, across numerous leaders, the extent to which a negative score on a particular leadership behavior is connected to lower ratings on respect. In comparison, more positive scores on that behavior for another leader reflect more positive scores on respect. The larger the correlation coefficient, the stronger the connection between behavior and respect, which led to their colleagues’ conclusion that they were being treated respectfully. This helped us uncover the seven leader behaviors that led to the overall impression of respectful treatment.

Valuing Diversity

A common theme we heard from those feeling disrespected is that “I’m different” or “I don’t fit in.” Many leaders actively work hard to hire team members from diverse backgrounds, check their unconscious biases, and ensure they’re open to hearing diverse perspectives and opinions. Others go through the motions assuming they treat everyone equally, completely unaware of their glaring blind spots. Our prior research showed many leaders tend to under- or overrate their skill in this area.

To establish a groundwork of respect, leaders must be aware that they may not be doing everything they can to show that they value diversity, and make clear that differences are valued.

Staying in Touch with Issues and Concerns of Individuals

While you may not be at work to find your best friend, you need to maintain a level of familiarity to establish respect. When you are the last to find out about an employee or colleague who is struggling, you might be tempted to rationalize that as one of the downsides of being a leader. After all, how can you know everything that’s going on with everyone, especially when the power imbalance creates social distance?

Realistically, you can’t. But you should be making an effort to convey that you are there for employees who may want to share sensitive issues or deep concerns. Set a goal to stay in contact with people as much as you can, to check in on how they’re doing, and to reiterate your commitment to supporting them when needed. Asking questions such as, ”Are we making it possible for you to balance your work and your personal life?” or “How is your family doing at this moment?” can invite a more personal conversation.

Staying in touch with people in this way conveys respect. While listening to a worker musing about his relationship with his favorite boss, we asked why he appreciated his boss, and his response was, “He calls me when he doesn’t need anything.” Those periodic phone calls where the boss conveyed concern only about him and his welfare made all the difference.

Being Trusted

In our research on trust, we discovered that if one person on your team distrusts you, it will significantly lower the level of trust from the rest of the team. This is an emotion that’s contagious.

We know that trust is enhanced by three factors: positive relationships, sharing expertise/knowledge, and consistency. When you treat people with respect, regardless of their ancestry, language, culture, religion, or sexual orientation, you are enhancing your relationship, which greatly increases the trust others have in you.

Resolving Conflicts

Even a small conflict between a few team members can negatively impact the energy of a whole group and become a source of frustration that encourages feelings of disrespect. Too often, when leaders notice conflicts between team members, they vow not to intervene — “I’ll let them work out the conflict themselves; no need for me to get involved” — but then they don’t apply that approach consistently.

Selective peacemaking conveys respect for some and a lack of respect for others. Conflicts in a team are like a small fire in the forest that, if caught early, can be easily put out but, when ignored, can create significant damage. Leaders need to resolve conflicts quickly when they occur. A respectful leader does not step back but willingly engages in mending conflicts.

Balancing “Getting Results” with a Concern for Others

When results become more important than the people who deliver them, people feel disrespected. In most situations, this only requires making small exceptions for people (when kids get sick, accidents happen, or someone needs a mental health break), but the impact on satisfaction and engagement will be significant.

The best leaders balance getting results with the realities facing the people who produce them. Organizations and leaders must listen to the pleas to establish a culture that supports better work-life balance. “You can’t freeze and unfreeze culture on demand — it’s earned every day, and not just in one way, but through people processes, commitments, manager accountability, whom you recruit, and whom you reward,” writes Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan.

Encouraging Open Discussion of Problems and Differences of Opinions

The simple act of asking another person for their opinion is a powerful way to communicate respect. But you can’t just ask — you also have to listen and engage. When a leader is willing to hear different perspectives and dig into problems that concern others, they show they value those team members. You don’t have to think the issue is important (you might even think it’s trivial), or their viewpoint is valid to do this. But moving past those reactions to genuinely listen and ask questions conveys respect.

You can further enhance respect by actively listening to opinions that are contrary to yours. This conveys, “I’m open to a different way of thinking, and I want to understand more” and “I hold you in high regard even though we may have differing views.”

Giving Honest Feedback in a Helpful Way

Direct and honest feedback can make people feel respected as long as it’s delivered in the right way. It ought to fairly reflect the person’s performance. If an employee does 90% of their work correctly and 10% incorrectly, honest feedback would be 90% positive and only 10% corrective. In many cases, leaders give 0% positive and 10% corrective feedback, which implies that all the leader cares about or notices are errors or mistakes. This pointing out of negative behavior — without balancing it with positive feedback as well — makes people feel disrespected.

Of course, respect can mean different things to different people, and the people you lead may care more about some of these behaviors than others. The key is to consider all seven, then select one or two that you believe will matter to your employees, and find authentic ways to do more of that behavior.

Great leaders are well respected, but more importantly, they take deliberate, thoughtful steps to show respect for their employees.