The reason I don't like the military example is that it is not neccessarily "respect" or even being "respectful" when you address a higher ranking officer in a respectful way but simply following protocal.
I'd agree with the quote above but I would not agree that it is forced on anyone. The military is entirely voluntary (excluding countries that still have a draft) and those who choose to join do so knowing what will be expected, including a tolerance for less than ideal leadership at times.

Modern military organizations have evolved over a period of several thousand years. The protocols that have developed over the centuries do have a solid foundation in hard-earned experience, even when they don't seem to make sense. An inherent respect shown for rank comes from the need for a clear chain of command when seconds count, when the enemy is charging there isn't time to debate who should be issuing orders. Even bad orders are better than uncoordinated confusion.

There is also a built-in recognition that incompetency can come with rank too. US officers are taught about illegal orders and when not to obey a superior (and the consequences if that officer was right after all). A good officer still has to demonstrate some skill in order for his men to trust him in a combat situation (Viet Nam being a good example of what happens when large numbers of poorly trained junior officers were put in charge of experienced units, dumb orders were simply ignored).

There was a recent incident in the Iraq war where a US officer clearly broke the rules by threatening to kill a prisoner in order to extract information about an imminent ambush targeting his unit. His action saved the lives of his men, but he was still brought up on charges. Rather than argue the point he admitted what he did, that it was wrong, and he'd do the same thing again. If I remember right he was given administrative punishment and allowed to retire.

In my opinion that's the quality of character that marks a master or anyone in a leadership position, the quality that earns real respect. Make the hard choice and live with the consequences, with no regrets afterward.