Donald O. Clifton, the grandfather of positive psychology, offered a simple formula for establishing meaningful, productive relationships:
“It’s when A does something for B for B’s own good, with no expectation of return.”
He continued: “When you expect a return, there’s a catch that impacts the relationship. Having said that, when you do invest without any expectation of return you almost always get a return.”
In the research from my friend and colleague Brad Shuck, we find this principle applies to being an effective leader today.
We must invest.
We need to have a return, to be sure.
But if our relationships with our team is such that we expect them to give back to us to the exact degree we invest we’re not going to get anywhere.
With new employees, we invest more, at least in the short term.
With an employee who is considering an internal move, we invest in helping the associate find ways they can continue to grow and achieve their goals, even though that may impact our team productivity for a time.
In this challenging world, investing in our people in a way that meets this spirit of Dr. Clifton’s definition is the leadership approach we sorely need.
#engagement #compassionateleadership
Mark Hirschfeld 
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