> ...You are an asset to your company...

That reminds me of a communication lunch that I had with a vice president who offered this priceless gem:

We like to say that our employees are our biggest asset, but they're actually an expense.

A profit-sharing program is an excellent way for a company to make individual contributors feel good about making extra investments in education, working extra hours, etc. The vice president was actually explaining the complexities of the accounting system used to calculate the profit sharing bonuses when he said the above quote.

Look for a good incentive program in your next company. If you start your own company and can hire people, you might consider implementing a profit-sharing program.