What goes around ...

You get what you give ... and the best rewards are often those you don't require or expect.
Sometimes the balance in the 'give and receive' cycle, is struck in time-frames a little longer than you might think you need; but it does seem to be the case, that everything balances eventually, the more good you do, the more good comes your way.

As Sir Churchill Said, "You can't help the poor by being one of them". I always took this to mean, poor in thought, poor in empathy, poor in confidence, poor in self concept, poor in capability ... and I suppose, poor in financial terms too.

Watch this video, then think, if you're a leader, what does 'good' look like for your staff? The reward doesn't always have to link directly to the bottom line, sometimes it's an arm around a shoulder, congratulations on a job well done or some other form of support that makes the difference to the individual, the team, the department or the business unit ... and, despite the lack of measures to prove it, it's those rewards which have a bigger impact on the bottom line in the long run.

For Example;
I was recently helping a small company navigate the complexities of a redundancy program, no-one wanted to be going through it, but it provoked one chap to tell me a story of the old MD. 26 years ago, this chap lost his wife suddenly, in her early 30's. She also worked at the company and it came as a shock to everyone. The MD gave him a lot of time off, fully paid and when he also put his back out, that MD paid for his chiropractor bills too, one appointment a week for a year!

26 years later, that is still the over-arching positive memory of working for the company and sits at root of the dedication this man has shown the organisation ever since. In his consultation meeting, he said, I sure as hell won't be talking about the current management in 26 years time! 

So a question for you; As a leader what are you poor in? What will you do today which will make an employee still speak fondly of you in 26 years time? What dedication do you generate in those reporting to you? 

Just like the kid in the video - being kind makes a big difference. Don't get fooled by the pace of life. Being genuine, Caring, It really does make a difference.