How to earn respect

I am reading through the Old Testament book of Exodus. I noticed something this morning that is interesting to me. Moses was able to earn respect with people of Israel and the people of Egypt (except Pharaoh). At first he was a stammering outcast, but became one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history. There are several reasons for this, but what struck me this morning is that one of the main reasons is everything Moses said was going to happen really happened. He said plagues were coming and they did. He said the children of Israel would get to leave Egypt and they did.

This is a good leadership lesson about earning respect. I have been guilty of making statements that did not come to pass. When this happens on a regular basis followers begin to lose respect. Here are some reasons why I over-promise and under-deliver:

1. I speak too soon: Many times I will start talking about an idea before I should. I will begin to implement something or cast vision when it is not formulated enough to be public knowledge.

2. I say too much: I have "ideas" all the time. I can start spouting off all of these ideas and eventually they become white noise for those I am leading. They think, "we have heard this stuff before. It isn't going to happen." They mistake my verbal brainstorming for intentional plans.

3. I am lazy: I can tend to plan some big project, promote it, then realize that I don't really have the energy to pull it off. After a few of these failures people will begin to lose enthusiasm for new projects because they aren't convinced they will really happen.

Following through on our promises will help us earn respect.