Respect, that is what all of us strive for.. But the funny thing with respect is that it doesn’t come attached with any designation, post or position. It must be earned.
If you look up a dictionary, “Respect” means “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements”.
If you notice, another thing about the definition, you will realize that ability, qualities and achievements in your profession are built on the foundation called “Knowledge”. In my view, the lack of knowledge is one of the basic reasons for this despairing feeling of inadequacy.
BUT, merely having “Knowledge” is not sufficient, you must LEARN TO APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE to practical situations thereby developing your “ABILITIES”, Successful application of your abilities gives you “Achievements” and a combination of both gives you “professional qualities” that others look up to. In case you are unsuccessful in applying your abilities, do not despair, it will just improve your “KNOWLEDGE” and refine your “ABILITIES”.
Then there is the aspect of “Personal Qualities”; are you trustworthy, are you reliable, are you a gossip-monger, how do you conduct yourself, how you dress, your etiquettes, how you talk, and so many more qualities…
Gaining knowledge is a lifelong process, and developing the “Abilities”, “Qualities” and “Achievement” needs constant updates to your knowledge base and lots of hard work, persistence and dedication.
One can begin with self-awareness, for which SWOT Analysis as Mr. Gopinath Varahamurthi has already brought out, is a very useful tool. Self SWOT Analysis is easier said than done, one must be dispassionate about it and have courage to do it, because it can be quote revealing about oneself. But if you do it successfully, you get a clear-cut idea about how to channelize your efforts towards becoming a better professional.
(A word of caution about gaining KNOWLEDGE: With free “data” available on the world wide web, including this forum and many like this, the habit of reading reference books, professional publications etc have completely vanished… notwithstanding all this free advice and guidance, as Mr. Dinesh Divekar very rightly brought out in his reply - always, always, always go back to the books, the bare acts, the case laws, read & re-read the original stuff…)
All the best..