It really doesn’t matter exactly how much of the complement is for gain as long as it has some element of sincerity and is not total out and out deception. I mean, we are all social animals and if we are honest about it I think we must all admit that we look for advantage in social ways. We try to get along with people and make people like us. There is nothing wrong with that per se. There is something wrong with out and out deception. Lying to someone to win them over or to win their confidence so you can use them for totally selfish reasons. Or gaining their confidence so you can find out their vulnerabilities to exploit some advantage or undermine them in some way.
In this case I think it’s to his advantage to get along with me and he sees that. I can be helpful to him. He is likable and talented and I want to help him. But I don’t want to be stabbed in the back. I tend to take complements with a grain of salt. So I may be disappointed if things turn out not to be for real, not sincere. But I probably wouldn’t be surprised. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Isn’t that how it goes? I have to give someone a fair chance because if I don’t, distrusting them makes our failed relationship a self-fulfilled prophecy of disaster. I would much rather make a friend of him.
Right now we both have an advantage to helping each other. Isn’t it usually that way? He has really made the atmosphere at our office more genial. So far, so good.