All I’m askin’ is for a little respect …

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Find out what it means to me …

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me … )

Aretha Franklin (1967)

Some greet with a handshake. Some bow. Some offer a wai.
Some make eye contact. Some shouldn’t make eye contact.
Do you hand a namecard with one hand or two hands?
Do you greet the lady before the man? The boss before the subordinates?

There are so many cultural variations. What constitutes respect in one culture may be considered disrespectful in another culture. Kandidata Asia advocates cultural sensitivity in the application of assertiveness in an Asian culture. That’s what this month’s blogs have attempted to raise awareness of.

Aretha Respect

The core of Assertiveness is ultimately about respect as Aretha Franklin has been belting out as early 1967. Being respected is a fundamental need in interpersonal relationships. In Asia, that must include the concept of ‘face‘.

Here are 3 tips to bear in mind:

  1. The Principle:
    Your practice of Assertiveness must not cause the other person to lose face.
  1. The Practice:
Do’s Don’ts
  • Appeal to their generosity
  • Acknowledge their autonomy
  • Accept their response after three attempts
  • Publicly disagree
  • Push them into a no choice situation
  • Press the point unendingly
  1. The Proficiency:

Learn to respect self and others by first giving feedback in ‘low risk’ situations. For example, giving feedback to service staff for both good and poor service. Then gradually progress to the ‘real’ situations as you gain competency.

Respectfully yours,

The Kandidata Asia Team 🙂