What to do when someone takes credit for your work.

Credit: Take it. Give it. Share it

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Giving, taking, and sharing credit can sometimes be a source of conflict in the workplace. You have worked so hard on a project, you finally got it successfully completed, but someone else took credit for all your hard work. You provided the winning idea that helped your company secure a lucrative deal, but the accolades went to someone else. Of course, you felt disappointed, and maybe betrayed, but what do you do? You still have to work with the fellow in the future, and you want to maintain the necessary team spirit that will help your organization achieve its objectives. How do you handle colleagues or even managers that refuse to share credits?

Every organization wants and expects its people to work collaboratively together as a team to achieve business objectives. It is also true that to excel in your career, you must show your contributions to the organization from time to time. You must blow your trumpets to be seen. How can you show that you are contributing to the team without appearing that you are taking all the credit for teamwork? How can you walk the fine thin line between grabbing credits and touting well-deserved accomplishments? In this piece, I will be sharing tips to help you deal with a colleague that takes the credit for your work.

Here are some proactive ways to handle the issue of giving or taking credit:

1. Have a talk: What if this person did it unintentionally? It would help if you started with a private discussion with the fellow, make it a coaching moment by clearly explaining what they did and why it was wrong. You should endeavor to set the record straight by clearly stating what they did and what you did to highlight each person’s contributions. Make sure you are assertive, but not aggressive, the goal is to explain why it is not right for them to take credit for what they did not do. While talking, you must listen to their feedback and try to understand their position. You may need to start documenting your work to keep evidence in case of any future recurrence.
2. Wait for change: After your talk, you should wait to see adjustments and changes. It may take time for this person to change if it has become a habit for him. You can also become more proactive by copying your boss on some of your progress updates on certain project-specific emails as a form of keeping a paper trail of conversations. If this person changed after a while, you should take it that it was not an intentional act in the first place, forgive them, and continue to work as a team. If there was no change, go to step three.
3. Escalate: If there were no changes in this negative behavior after multiple conversations, you would need to take the next step and escalate to your manager. If you have been keeping paper trails of what you do, now is the time to share the record with your boss. You should also let him know that you have engaged the individual on several occasions to address this issue, with no positive result. Your manager should be able to handle it and guide your team on reasonable action steps to resolve the issue.
4. Give credit: Let’s look in the mirror for a minute. Do you also give credit to others when due? If you don’t, then you need to learn how to make it a habit and recognize others for their ideas, efforts, and contributions on any projects. People in your team may learn from you about the importance of acknowledging and giving credits to fellow colleagues for a job well done.

Most great accomplishments require a team effort. No man is an island as much as you like taking credit, you should also enjoy giving people credits when they are due for one. You should definitely promote your accomplishments, but don’t overdo it by bragging as if without you, the company will cease to exist. Follow the above steps to resolve conflicts around taking or giving credits in the workplace.