The only people who get my immediate attention and respect are police officers, fire fighters and soldiers, and it's likely their uniforms have a lot to do with that. I hold all others, regardless of title, wealth, or status, at arm's length until they prove their value. I'm certainly not alone in this.
Having manager, director, or president in your title doesn't mean much of anything until you earn your position by proving your value. Even my new doctor with her scrubs and stethoscope had to earn her position with me. (She fast-tracked my rigorous value test by spending 20 unscheduled minutes learning about what makes me tick besides my circulatory system.)
I can recall many examples of colleagues floundering after getting promoted to management positions or coming into teams wearing big titles. They thought respect, like the extra cash, automatically showed up with their titles.
Your title will get you in the door, but no further. It won't guarantee you'll be respected, sought out for your expertise, or even heard. Your value and the respect that comes with it will be determined by your actions. The more you respect others, the more you'll be respected. The more questions you ask, the more you'll be sought out. The more you're willing to acquiesce to the authority that comes with knowledge, not title, the more your guidance will be followed.
Earning it once isn't enough; you have to keep it. Remember my new doctor? Not only does she need to maintain her license and what I imagine to be a boat-load of certifications, she needs to hold my respect. If, during my next office visit, she treats me like a patient and not a person, she'll get demoted from My Primary Physician to the Person Who Writes My Prescriptions Until I Find a Better Doctor.
So, if Rodney Dangerfield's famous "I get no respect" line is your new battle cry, or you feel you're being left out of decisions involving what's supposed to be "your turf," perhaps you need to renew your respect certificate. If you're unsure where to start, simply open your ears and close your mouth-unless you're asking a sincere question.
Franny Fried