Have You Ever Thanked the Lighthouse?

You had that brilliant idea. You burned the midnight oil and made your company land that deal. While others were still trying to figure it out, you were the one who sailed the extra mile and made it happen. You did not just build a ship. You also patched the leaks and kept your crew afloat. 

And then you never received the due credit. No applause, no recognition– almost like no one even noticed.  

If you have felt this way, let me remind you that you are not alone. About 80% of individuals who quit their job have reported “not feeling valued” as the key reason. 

But is it wrong to seek appreciation? 

I mean, you are getting paid for your contributions, right? Shouldn’t that feel enough? The answer is no. The answer would have been in the affirmative if we had been living in the 20th century. But since we are not, let us understand why pay is not motivating enough. Frederick Herzberg, the American psychologist, gave us a groundbreaking framework on why employees often feel unmotivated even when working in optimal conditions.

So basically, there are two kinds of factors that affect motivation at work.

• The first one consists of those that simply prevent you from feeling dissatisfied– the bare minimum. Pay is one of them.

• The others are working conditions, organisational policies and the like. These are known as “hygiene factors” and do not actually make you feel motivated.

The second kind is the game-changer, and is known as “motivating factors”. These include the nature of work, achievement, reward and yes- recognition! These are the factors that actually keep you driven at work.

So Captain, if you’ve just steered the ship away from an iceberg and you are not getting your applause– it is natural to feel disappointed. 

And let us just admit it, validation always feels good. Neuroscience agrees with us. When someone appreciates your work, the reward centre in your brain– the ventral striatum– fires up. It releases the happy chemical known as dopamine. Your brain rejoices each little win. It is like having fireworks over your ship, but not for a Mayday Call, but for an actual celebration. 

But this is also where things start to get a little tricky.

Let us reflect on what may be happening. 

1. The dopamine paradox

   
   

   While this “party chemical” plays a huge role in pleasure and motivation, it also has a flip side to it. Every time you get a dopamine hit, your brain craves more of it. It is an addiction in its most raw form. Further, the more you associate this chemical with things like praise or appreciation– the more value you attach to these things. And let us be real, you cannot control whether you get recognition.

   
   

2. Have you lost your “why”?

   
   

   Why did you start doing this work in the first place? Did it mean anything special to you? Or did you end up getting hooked on external rewards and kept going until they faded? In that case, you may have been driven by extrinsic motivation. Research suggests that when we do something purely because it aligns with our values, we tend to experience improved well being. In other words, intrinsic motivation goes a long way in your voyage. If your compass leans more towards extrinsic motivation at this point, it may be time to evaluate the “why” that you had begun with. 

   
   

   You were a fresher once. Every task you did was evaluated and given feedback. Every step forward was applauded. But now that you are a seasoned professional, you are expected to return the favour. You make more sacrifices than ever, your progress is quieter. You miss the honeymoon phase. And you have all the right to miss it. 

   
   

   But the sad truth remains- the ocean does not applaud. It moves on its next tide, as if the storm never happened. But just think about the lighthouse. The silent helper who has been showing you the way all along. How often do you thank it? And if you do not, does that in any way reduce its value?