One of the common questions that I come across is how does one earn respect?

Any kind of relationship requires some amount of respect to be meaningful. The answer is straightforward. You need to give respect to earn respect.

The answer sounds simple but it seems hard to implement in real life. The dynamics of every relationship are different so the give and take of respect varies a lot.

Respect in a husband/wife relationship will look different if compared with a politician or a bureaucrat.

A bureaucrat or politician has the perception that so many people respect them but mostly it is fake and out of some sort of fear. I don't want to mess with this guy.

It is a fear of the chair he occupies. It is the power that the chair holds that gets transferred to that person.