fear is one thing, respect is another.
I would say fear is more powerful than respect. Of course, maybe you're going for an integrity prespective?
Not exactly. People are far more willing to do what you tell them to when they respect you rather than if they fear you. Even if you put a gun to their head, their initial reaction internally is fight or flight, not to follow directions.
Look at all powerful dictators. They rule through fear, not respect.
Actually I think it's respect through fear. As in, they are respected for their cruelty and power.
Even in democratic societies, there is a need for some amount of fear for governing effectively. Without the "fear" of going to prison, we would have less tax revenue and more burglary and theft. Coercive force is the nature of government underneath everything else. Rules are useless unless people have some small amount of "fear" for the consequences of not following them.
Fear is also a good motivator for success. One time, I started a new framing job. On the first day, I was laying down roof plywood with the boss. He asked me if I was afraid of heights. I told him "Deathly afraid of them, always will be...but I'm more afraid of being unemployed and homeless.
I hate to say it, but the world would be a really crappy place without fear.
