HOW TO EARN RESPECT (Men’s Health)

• Pick up the tab. What? Buy respect? Of course not — you earn it by showing it as you scoop up the bill. To your potential father-in-law: “Your daughter and I would like to treat you.” On business: “Jim, it’s the least I can do.”
• Try the sushi.
• Never blunt the bad news.
• Stay sober when no one would blame you for drinking.
• Nail the toast.
• Cook for 12.
• Become what you told people you always wanted to be.
• When some lemon- sucker asks, “Ugh, you actually like that book?” just reply — with unwavering eye contact — “Yes.”
• Say no when no’s the answer. “We’ll see,” “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” and “I’m not 100 percent sure” are smoke screens for the man who’s afraid to disappoint.
• Become multilingual. Could be Spanish. Could be the secret language of the internal combustion engine. Either way, it’s a life truth: A man with two tongues is a man in demand.
• Risk being hated for doing the right thing.
• Show patience with those who can’t do what you can.