It’s really unmotivating to work hard when you feel your efforts are undervalued or unnoticed. How do you know whether or not to seek appreciation, or move on to a new role?
Put your accomplishments in perspective
How certain are you that your achievements are above what your peers would have done? Relative to what others do, does your work offer a significant benefit to your team?
Devise an outreach strategy
For others to appreciate your work, they must be aware of it first. Have you had a professional development conversation with your boss to discuss your strengths and weaknesses? What is your role in building a culture of appreciation on your team? What could you do to give others credit for their work and also claim credit for your own work?
Reassess your effort level
What are the primary reasons that you are going above and beyond in your work? How critical are those reasons? What do you think is driving the mismatch between your degree of caring and theirs?
The bottom line is that if the mismatch between how you and your company value your efforts persists, you ultimately need to decide if your own personal validation is enough, or if you want to seek external validation at another company.
