Respect the rank or respect the Soldier, which is first?

I have always preferred to respect the person first then the rank, but at times people by their own actions and totally lack of taking responsibility for those actions. Sometimes, you are left no choice, but having to respect the rank, and not respecting the person who filing the position. Same thing out here in the Civilian World, you may have boss, who is total dick and/or idiot, but they are still your boss, so you have to do what they 'say', out here you can correct them when they are 'wrong' and give un-Moral and un-Ethical directions. Doesn't mean you will still have job long afterwards, but you still talk back without worries of full blown Court-Martial. Like I said you still have to respect the position they hold in the Company, regardless of how you feel about them as a person.

SSG(P) (Join to see) Great question SGT Bailey. My opinion is you respect the rank first and hope to learn to respect the Soldier. I always strived to be respected and to treat Soldiers with respect. I never demanded respect for the rank or for me, unless the situation warranted it. I always put the needs of my Soldiers before my own and did every mission to the best of my ability. In the twilight of my career I had a number of Soldiers, seniors, peers, and subordinates who related they had a great deal of respect for me. That is the goal and hope for the epitaph on a career, you left with respect, while providing respect, and having earned respect.

Cut and dry IMO. The organization functions first by law that we respect the authority given to the person by the rank and position. So that would come first. Respect for the person comes later based off their character and leadership. In many cases we find that we may never respect someone as a person or even a human for that matter, but we are compelled to respect their authority.

I have a very short list of people I once served under, who if I found out tomorrow that they died I would probably go to the bar and celebrate the fact that they are off the planet.

I was told one time by my 1SG, that we didn't have to respect him as a person, but we would respect the rank and title that he has earned. When he said that I thought to myself, "I always want to be respected as Justin Maxwell, and not just____ Maxwell." When I got my stripes, I realized that there is a difference, and I tell my soldiers now that they don't have to respect or like Justin Maxwell, but they will respect SGT Maxwell, and I will respect them.

Respect the rank first. It doesn't matter how much you hate the guy. Respect the rank and keep it moving. Once you step over that line of disrespecting that person, there's no going back. Kiss your career goodbye if the soldier out ranks you.

This being a Military environment, I'm going with rank. Whether or not you have respect for the individual, not respecting the rank will bite you in the butt.

Respect the rank if you're subordinate, respect the Soldier if you are senior.

However, both should respect both.

Coming up in the Army I was always shown to respect the person before the rank. Respect will always get you better results than rank alone.