Have you ever had one of those difficult coworkers who took credit for your accomplishments? You know the type—slick, loud, often the manager’s favorite. I imagine we’ve all had our share—in part because just one feels like way more than enough.
But what can you do if there’s one in your workplace, stealing all your ideas?
Again, there are no easy answers, but one of the tools I recommend is one I encourage you to use anyway: keeping track of your accomplishments. You can use whatever tool makes sense, from a plain old notepad to your phone to a computer, but make sure you can get to the information easily and quickly. You might need it for things like annual reviews or salary discussions. Keep a list of your assorted accomplishments wherever you’ve chosen, including dates, resources you used, partnerships, and anything especially noteworthy, like if you completed the tasks before the deadline or came in under budget. This also serves as a record when you update your resume, so keep it as current as you can. Note any suggestions you’ve made as well, and when you made them so it’s clear when you’re the originator of something.
Another tool I like to have some of my clients practice is simply that of volume. It’s often the quieter people whose ideas get publicly stolen, so it can be worthwhile to learn to be just a little louder. You don’t want to get known as the office screamer, of course, but you can practice saying things a bit more forcefully and loudly so that there’s never a question that you said something first in a meeting.
Finally, if the problem persists anyway, you might need to start naming it. This can be very, very uncomfortable, and it’s often something women aren’t supposed to do (wouldn’t want to threaten those fragile male blowhards’ egos, right?) but sometimes it’s worth doing. You may need to practice this if it turns out to be warranted in your case: “Actually, Jim, I just said that 5 minutes ago. You must not have heard me.” Whether or not you choose this direct approach is, of course, up to you. Think about whether you want to fight this particular battle or not, but also try not to judge yourself either way. It’s your decision to make, so trust your instincts!
