Recently, I was speaking with a woman who shared an experience with a landlord. He was frustrated that she wasn’t contributing more and she was frustrated that he raised her rent. When we talked further, it became clear she had a significantly below market rent. It was clear the landlord was frustrated she didn’t appreciate what he was doing for her. She does a lot of upkeep and provides services that are not normal in a rental relationship. She thinks he may not be aware or appreciate all she does.
These sorts of situations happen all the time in business. Each party feels like they are making significant contributions to the relationship that aren’t appreciated by the other side. Many times, the other party may not even be aware of those contributions. And other times, the contributions aren’t valued because they aren’t needed or wanted. The key to a balanced relationship is understanding the contributions of each party and how those contributions are valued.