Respect & Being Liked

On Monday I had an interview and one of the questions was whether it was better to be respected or liked.  For some reason this question tripped me up a little bit, but I was able to think AND talk my way through it.  I've thought about this question for the past couple of days and here is what I truly think.  For the interview I said that being respected was most important because you need people to do what you say when you want them to do something.  I said my employees respected me and that I run a very self-sufficient department at Hy-Vee and that I didn't particularly expect them to like me. 

Now for the reality of my department.  My employees talk back to me all the time and for the most part think they are smarter than me.  I don't necessarily care what they say because most of it, is just in fun.  My employees like me and our attitudes towards each is very laid back.  It's almost like we're family.  We've all worked together for so long, that it only seems natural to have the constant bickering. I know my employees like me because they trust me.  I've never had problems with any of them seeking me out for advice.  They know they can call me if they have special requests and because I'm willing to work with them, they are always willing to go above and beyond in their work.  And I appreciate that I'm liked by them.  I don't want my employees to be afraid of me, but they definitely know when they're pushing it with me.  They know when to back off. For example: Jay knows not to look over my shoulder when I'm writing an e-mail to a customer or somebody at another store.  He knows this bothers me more than anything and steers clear.  Unfortunately for Jay, he has seen the wrath of Angie once or twice and I think the others have just heard second hand from him.  And then there's my 18 year old Tyler who I have to remind constantly to clean the counters when he closes and to finish film orders before the end of his shift.  And then there's David, who is constantly trying to please me and do everything I say.  I have a small staff, but I'd say that there is a give and take with respect and being liked.  I think I balance both of them pretty well which makes work enjoyable.  My department basically runs itself and because we all have this dynamic, we are pretty cohesive and work towards the same goals.  We like each other and respect each other, so I don't think one is better than the other.