Recently I signed on to watch a local meeting. At the meeting I noticed that some of my good work was shared. I had spent hours and hours completing that task. I didn't complete the task on my own. In fact, the work shared included the collaboration of many, many individuals over many years. We hosted our collective work on a Google site.
I was honored that our good work was shared, but I was also somewhat saddened that no one received acknowledgement of that work. Should that matter?
I guess I would have felt better if I received a short note that included words like this:
Dear ______,
We found the work of your _____ team over the past ______ to be exemplary so we shared it at a (local meeting). The specific details of your work that we found to be most worthy were:_______. Thank you for your continued efforts to ____________. This is what makes us a strong, collaborative learning team.
Sincerely,
___________
I've mentioned so many times that years ago I worked at a prominent design firm. When the firm was undergoing change they hired a consultant to come in to guide their efforts. The big take away from the consultant was "share the good news." I do think it's important to credit those who contribute with time and care. I wonder what the best ways to do that are. I wonder what others think about this.
In the meantime, if I've used your work and haven't credited you, please let me know as that's never my intent.
