More pithiness from Seth Godin:
Most partnerships don’t end up in court.
Most friendships don’t end in a fight.
Most customers don’t leave in a huff.
Instead, when one party feels underappreciated, or perhaps taken advantage of, she stops showing up as often. Stops investing. Begins to move on.
No, I’m not going to sue you. Yes, I’ll probably put my best efforts somewhere else.
In any good relationship, one party will happily bear most of the burden when the other party isn’t able to. The problem is, it’s easy let that unbalanced state become the new norm. That’s when the overly burdened party starts to feel underappreciated and taken advantage of. That’s when she stops showing up as often.
Recognize when things someone is carrying more than their own share. Literally acknowledge it and thank them for doing so. This part is easy.
The harder part is to recognize when that balance has gotten too far out of whack, or has been out of whack for too long.
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