Skills, relevance, recognition, and finances! The value of what’s real!

Different personalities cross paths at work, some briefly, others for longer stretches. Generally, everyone looks out for their own interests, pushing their agendas to succeed in their projects and follow the path they’ve set for themselves.

Far from being just a personal preference, the need for recognition is deeply human. Feeling acknowledged helps someone stay organized in their work, striking a balance between the tasks ahead and the energy they put into them.

The Power of Structured Work

Work matters a lot to active people, and a lack of success or recognition there can hit them hard—not just professionally, but beyond the job too. It stirs up feelings of unfairness and endless overthinking.

Conflicts, whether obvious and unresolved or buried beneath the surface, drain energy. A drop in quality of life outside work can then seep back into the workplace, sapping motivation among other things.

When you ignore your need for recognition, you lose some of your zest for life. You also lose interest in connecting with your workplace, building relationships, or even considering a step up.

Sadly, for management reasons, recognition might not be seen as a key principle in a work environment that should, at its core, reflect the positive impact people have on the group’s success.

Building Assertiveness

Someone facing this lack of recognition can start reaffirming what matters most in their professional journey. They can ask big questions about their life’s direction—work included—and look inward to reconnect with what drives them and brings them joy in their tasks.

It’s a way of resisting devaluation, but it takes grit and resilience. Growing assertiveness and speaking up, even when it means facing conversations others dodge, requires compartmentalizing worries and not letting fleeting, human awkwardness throw you off too much.

In situations where someone’s put down or discouraged from speaking freely, tough emotions can pile up: anger, sadness, resentment, discouragement. In the worst cases, a learned helplessness sets in after facing distortions that start to feel unfixable or unbearable in a workplace that thrives on disconnect.

Building Bridges

Collaboration is key at work, but it doesn’t just happen out of nowhere. It grows from intentions and agreements that build over time—sometimes even quickly.

To get to a place where you don’t just react to every trigger but respond thoughtfully, making smart choices, bridges need to exist. Those bridges are built brick by brick in a workplace that encourages healthy performance.

When you divide to conquer, small cliques form and fight pointless battles. Cohesion might hold for a while without obvious harm, creating the illusion of a winning strategy—a controlled split. But it always ends up hurting people deeply and spreading a quiet, widespread unease. It’s not a symphony; it’s a poorly tuned mess.

The good news? It’s never too early or too late to build bridges with the right allies. A collaborative environment has a strong cure: civility—politeness and respect for others’ boundaries.

A Bright Future

Compassion and small acts to make life easier for each other are essential. What’s just as crucial is giving bruised sensitivities a chance to heal, so they can once again reach out confidently and safely, shaking the hand of the person next to them.

Hella Ahmed © All rights reserved – Find my books on Amazon