Article #67 : A Pat On The Back

How many times you received a pat on the back when you did something great in your personal or professional lives? Did you ever feel that you did a splendid job and it was simply left unnoticed? Yes, it happens with most of us because we were never taught anywhere to appreciate people and we never know that a person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected until we experience it by ourselves. Did you know that the absence of a small pat on the back creates a wide difference in a person’s life? If not, let’s take a look at Ishaan’s story today. 

As part of this article, I am going to narrate you the story of Ishaan whose life changed dramatically due to lack of a pat on the back. 

Ishaan was a young software engineer, a thorough professional and a high performer at work. He loved to take initiatives every now and then at the workplace, maintained a healthy relationship with his colleagues and management.  

Looking at his sincerity towards work, Ishaan was offered a critical role in the project that had no backup and it was like a single point of contact for close to 400 associates. 

The role appeared to be so simple in the first instance, but the plot thickened as the days passed by.  

Ishaan kept performing well in the role, working for more than 10 hours a day, visiting office on weekends whenever required, giving on call support 24/7 and helping the team even when he was on leave. Along with this, he started taking his own set of initiatives like giving useful presentations, being part of the organization’s initiatives, helping peers to develop their communication and leadership skills, arranging various events and thereby contributing to organization goals. 

An open secret in the corporate, the more you work, the more you would be assigned. 

Ishaan’s share of responsibilities only kept increasing along with the time. But he never complained and kept doing everything that came his way. There were times when he didn’t care for his health and kept doing the work even when he was sick.  

1 year passed by and then came the season of appraisals. Ishaan was given an average rating at work. He was shocked to see that his colleagues who worked minimal received better ratings and better hikes, but he on the other hand who always kept going the extra mile didn’t get the deserving credit. 

Ishaan was irked, he started evaluating himself and questioned what did he get after doing so many things beyond his regular work and capacity? Everything was even highlighted to the management throughout the year, but still where did things go wrong? Why was he given an average rating? His appraisal wasn’t good, he wasn’t promoted, he wasn’t given an onsite opportunity, he wasn’t rewarded anytime, the least of everything, he didn’t even receive an email appreciation. No one from the management team gave a pat on his back.  

Ishaan confronted his manager for which he received a simple response saying, “That is what you deserve” 

Anger, pain, disappointment, frustration, helplessness, likewise multiple negative feelings surrounded Ishaan. You name it, he had it. These feelings took a toll on his mental health and he went into depression.  

Within few days, Ishaan became underconfident. His performance at work started deteriorating. He became completely a different person that no one had seen before. 

His colleague who knew him closely wanted to help Ishaan.  

He asked, “Good Morning Ishaan, how are you doing today?” 

Ishaan replied, “Neither good nor bad. You know everything, do you also think this is what I deserve? Am I wrong in expecting at least an appreciation for my hard work and efforts throughout the year?” 

His colleague smiled and replied, “you know what Ishaan, it shouldn’t bother you. The reason is pretty simple. Let me explain. The problem here is not with you or me or our manager, the problem is with the system and work culture. You can rarely find people appreciating others, irrespective of whether they are your subordinates or not. Leave about our organization, let’s take a look at the outer world. We study hard and get some good percentage of marks as a student. Are we appreciated? Instead, we are compared to our friends, the so-called Sharma Ji ka beta. Once you turn adult, you get a job, you earn well. Are you appreciated? No, you would be compared to someone who earns better than you. So, this is how it goes. The same thing is happening here, just give a thought.” 

Ishaan went deep into the thought after listening to his colleague and the very next day he quit the job. 

He started his career as a content creator, kept developing great content continuously for 5 years. His idea was to follow his passion, enjoy the process and this time he didn’t expect any positive compliments from anyone. He felt that he was only working for himself and didn’t have to impress anyone unlike his regular job. 

But surprisingly, people started loving his content and poured so much love and appreciations for his work. He was mesmerized and the audience reaction added fuel to the fire.  

Ishaan kept creating more and more good content with thorough research and added lot of creativity to his work. Soon, he became one of the most famous content-creators of the country.  

Now tell me, don’t you think everyone of us need a pat on the back when we do something great?  

Just like how we need to appreciate life and appreciate what we have in our lives, let’s also appreciate the people around in our lives. It boosts their confidence; it helps them attain greater heights and at the end, successful people build successful societies and successful societies build a successful world. 

What do you say? Let me know in the comments below.