Want Respect? Earn It – MIKE MANAZIR

September 7, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)

You Don’t Have to Say a Word When You Carry This Kind of Credibility

Competence Commands Respect—And It Shows

Tex had the edge. His A-4 Skyhawk turned tighter, faster, and with less drag than my big, beautiful Tomcat. I was bleeding airspeed, pulling Gs, fighting for survival in a tight one-versus-one dogfight over Arizona. We were locked in a swirling knife fight in a phone booth. Every move was chess at 300 knots.

And Tex was winning.

I had one move left. A maneuver that was technically… discouraged. Not illegal. Just… frowned upon. In the manual, it was marked as “prohibited during combat maneuvering.” But I’d been taught how to use it if—and only if—I could handle it.

I went for it.

I eased back on the Gs, dropped the wing flaps—the “big boys”—and then hauled back on the stick once they were down. My Tomcat squatted, seemed to surge, and squared the corner. Tex flew right into my sights.

Ten seconds pipper on. That’s an eternity in air combat. He was dead.

When we returned to Miramar, the rules were clear. Winner leads the break over the field—and the loser buys the beer.

As we walked into the O Club, Tex handed me a cold one, eyes wide. “How did you do that?” he asked.

I smiled. “Want me to show you?”

That’s the difference between competence and arrogance. Arrogance hoards knowledge. Competence shares it.

At Miramar, every pilot could fly. But not every pilot had earned the Top Gun patch. And when you walked into the club wearing that patch, heads turned. Respect followed you—but only if you carried it the right way. No ego. No posturing. Just calm, confident capability.

Here’s the truth about high-performance teams: they don’t care about your title. They care whether they can trust you when it counts.

In the cockpit, it could mean the difference between a win or a funeral. On your team, it could mean the difference between breakthrough success or quiet failure.

Competence Commands Respect—Wear It with Humility and Grace

You want to lead? Then earn your place. Build your skills. Deliver results. Make the clutch play when the team’s behind and the deadline is burning. And then, when they look to you, don’t boast. Share.

Tell them what it took to get there. The late nights. The early stumbles. The humility to learn from those better than you. That’s what earns respect that lasts.

Remember: confidence builds teams. Arrogance breaks them.

Leadership Resource: How to Build Competence

From The Trust Edge by David Horsager:

• See Every Situation as Training. Even the hard ones. Especially the hard ones.
• Find a Mentor. Someone who’s a few chapters ahead.
• Use Time Wisely. Every hour is a rep—get your reps in.
• Join a Mastermind. You rise to the level of your circle.
• Leverage Tech. Learn faster. Execute better.
• Read Daily. Stay sharp. Stay humble. Stay hungry.

Explore Resources:

P.S.

If this message stirred something in you—share it. Forward it to a friend, colleague, or your leadership team. Better yet—let’s talk.

Let’s raise up a generation of leaders who know how to Lead to Win.

Mike Manazir
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Author of Learn How to Lead to Win

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