Respecting an Individual's Investment

How many times have you gotten truly invested in a project, either at work or at home, only to have it given to someone else. At that moment you wonder why you invested your time and effort and become less likely to do so in the future. Sometimes, the way our organizations operate, one person can have their investment "stolen" more than once. While reorganizations, realignments, and job descriptions make sense, we need to also make sure we are respecting the investment that our workers have put into something. Keeping them involved after the realignment is one way to work towards efficiencies and individual respect at the same time. It is a little fix but requires the acknowledgement that people are investing in their work and that should be respected.

Have you had your mental investment "stolen"? Have you been in a situation where it could have been but for a good leader who recognized your input? How do you routinely recognize the investment of those you work with?

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