“The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves.” (William Hazlitt)

When people are disrespectful or rude, we can easily lose our cool. We all have the tendency to think the world should bend to our whims, and, when it doesn’t, we can get pretty worked up about it — especially when the rudeness and disrespect comes from people under our authority. Here’s where a slight change in our thinking can make life easier.

We get angry because we take others’ behavior as a personal affront. But this is an opportunity to exercise true leadership. Leadership allows people to be who they are and how they are. Leadership then allows people to see how the world works through natural consequences — without you having to punish others out of anger.

Rudeness and disrespect carry their own consequences — much like sawing against the grain of a piece of wood. Allow people the freedom to learn lessons like this without the haze of hurt feelings clouding your judgment. That’s part of loving the people you lead.