I was once a sysadmin, and I got incredibly tired of being unappreciated. Eventually I burnt out on the work and shifted to other things. But I came to realize that some of it was my fault. Uncomfortable with recognition, I was almost secretive about how much hard work I was doing to keep everything running smoothly. I didn't even give people a chance to appreciate what I was up to.

In retrospect, I was thinking that good work would shine on its own, that they would understand the complexities of what I was doing. Hah! I don't even do that myself. I don't run around saying, "Hey, the internet is amazing! Thank you $ISP for keeping me connected!" every 20 minutes. But when it goes down, I go right to WTF-land.

If you're going to take one for the team, let the team know. And when you notice other people doing important but unglamorous stuff, call it out. Praising them publicly helps create a culture that values more than the showy big wins. There's a technique called "appreciative inquiry" that I've found really helpful to shift my thinking in that regard. Rather than starting from an expectation of perfection, I start by asking myself, "What's good about this?"