It is easy to confuse being liked with being respected. They are not the same, and chasing the first one usually costs you the second.
Popularity is a vanity metric. It goes up when you say what people want and down when you say what is true. Respect moves the opposite way. It is earned by doing the hard, honest thing.
Optimize for the right number
If you optimize for applause, you will slowly become a person who says whatever gets applause. That is a system with a bad objective function, and it produces a bad result.
Respect compounds. It is slower and quieter, and it is worth infinitely more when things get hard and you need people to trust you.
Popularity is vanity metrics. Respect is the data that matters.
Weak men create noise
The loud, arrogant version of confidence is usually insecurity turned up to full volume. Real authority is quiet. It does not need the room to notice.
Build for respect. Let popularity be a side effect or not at all.
