Highly Respected Husbands Use These 10 Simple Behaviors To Command Respect
BuzzerBeaters / Shutterstock While demanding respect is usually characterized by charisma and control, the true nature of a highly respected person lies in their emotional intelligence. Can they regulate their emotions? Can they be a pillar of calm, even when things are stressful and chaotic? Can they ask for help without getting defensive?
As it turns out, highly respected husbands use some simple behaviors to command respect, even if it takes more effort, intention, and time. Whether it’s in their relationship, in their alone time, or at work, they’re always garnering respect from the foundation of their own self-assuredness, strength, and emotional intelligence.
Highly respected husbands use these 10 simple behaviors to command respect
1. They pause before speaking
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Emotional control, regulation skills, and self-assuredness are all traits that highly respected husbands boast. Even in tense, stressful, and emotional interactions, these kinds of men appreciate productive interactions without letting their emotions flood over or defensiveness sabotage healthy conflict resolution.
They listen before getting defensive, make space for other people to express themselves, and pause before speaking to give themselves space to regulate. Even if loudness, defensiveness, and anger are easy to lean on in uncomfortable moments, highly respected men maintain their composure, earning respect in the process.
2. They are consistent
Consistency — doing what you say you’re going to do — is more powerful for relationship well-being and building trust than many give it credit for. It’s a sign that you respect someone when you’re consistent with them, even if it’s just keeping a small promise or showing up to a commitment that you promised you’d be at.
Highly respected husbands use these simple behaviors to command respect. Whether it’s in their personal relationships or at work, they place a lot of value on being consistent.
3. They forgive people openly
According to a study published in the Journal of Religion and Health, forgiveness often decreases the anger, irritability, and sadness that many men struggle with in their daily lives. That’s why highly respected husbands use this simple behavior to command respect. They don’t just forgive people to find inner peace. They protect their relationships from being tainted by resentment and grudges.
They forgive themselves and their loved ones, and they’re not afraid to forgive and move on from relationships that no longer serve them.
4. They set boundaries without over-explaining them
Highly respected people aren’t just charismatic leaders. They’re also people with depth and emotional intelligence. They know what they want and the kind of behavior they’re willing to tolerate, and while they do tend to help others, they’re not putting their own well-being aside and tolerating misbehavior to protect the peace.
Setting boundaries without feeling a pressure to over-explain them immediately commands their respect, whether they’re at home or at work. They don’t let people walk all over them or take advantage of them, even if it means having an uncomfortable or difficult conversation.
5. They accept challenges with grace
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Even if they’re uncomfortable and occasionally difficult to navigate, accepting challenges with grace can truly help you grow as a person. Taking accountability, learning to regulate emotions, and finding learning opportunities amid the chaos are all associated with embracing challenge, which is why highly respected husbands lean into it.
They aren’t afraid to ask for help or seek out challenges that build them into better people, because that means they show up as a better person for the people they love and themselves.
6. They use humor intentionally
Using humor in a healthy way can often ease tension, add to productive conversations, and help people cope with stress and anxiety. However, some people use humor as a misguided defense mechanism, hiding their resentment and frustration with jokes and sarcasm to avoid taking accountability for hurting others.
Highly respected husbands don’t encourage the people around them to be wary in the face of humor or a joke. They don’t use phrases like “I was just joking” to invalidate another person’s hurt feelings, and they’re careful to address concerns as they come up, rather than hiding them behind jokes and sarcasm that push their families farther apart.
7. They apologize genuinely
Leveraging truly genuine apologies in every facet of life can build trust, strengthen relationships, and boost personal well-being. However, people who struggle to own up to their mistakes and embrace their own faults in relationships struggle with being wrong or taking accountability.
Highly respected husbands may be great leaders and calm pillars of strength in their families, but that doesn’t mean they’re not afraid to be vulnerable and open about their own growth. They apologize openly, take accountability with grace, and own up to mistakes, even when it’s uncomfortable.
8. They lean into productive conflict
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Arguments can be healthy for relationships if they’re met with grace, intentionality, and mutual respect. That’s why highly respected husbands lean into conflict rather than get defensive or try to avoid uncomfortable confrontation.
Even if that means addressing their own discomfort with vulnerability and practicing regulating their emotions in the moment, men who expect respect feed into healthy conflicts and conversations as best they can.
9. They make decisions with their partners
Especially when it comes to emotional topics like finances, couples who make decisions collaboratively with their partners tend to boast greater respect, trust, and relationship satisfaction, at least according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Even if it takes more effort to have conversations about decisions before making them, a highly respected husband, even in a self-proclaimed “leadership” role in the household, is careful about collaboratively making decisions. Even if they take on the protecting and providing roles for their family, they don’t make decisions that affect their entire family over their heads.
10. They remain steady under pressure
Even if their personal lives and professional environments are highly stressful, highly respected men always show up as a steady, calm presence under pressure. They’re the person their families turn to for support, because they’re always quiet under chaos.
Even if that means taking a few minutes to walk outside or plan an event ahead of time, natural behaviors, considering men tend to regulate their emotions through actions, highly respected husbands use these simple behaviors to command respect. They’re a steadfast source of calmness and strength, even amid chaos.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
