Did you happen to get into this situation: you are sitting at the next meeting, talking about a project that your entire department is working on, and suddenly your boss says that one of your colleagues has a great idea that can improve or speed up the work. Then he voices a truly brilliant idea, from which everyone is delighted. Everything except you. Because this idea does not belong to your colleague, but to you! In fact, you just shared this with him yesterday, when both were drinking coffee during the break.
This person, of course, avoids eye contact with you, you are disgusted and incredibly insulting. What to do now? What behaviors do you have? You do not want to seem petty, but you do not understand why you should not get the recognition that you deserve ...
Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens to almost everyone, and this is a difficult situation. How to act in such circumstances? Here are some simple tips.
Try to understand the intention
You are annoyed, which means your initial reaction is to suggest that the colleague who gave your idea as his own wants to build his career at your expense. Of course, your reaction is understandable, but this is not the best option. Instead, you'd better take some time to figure out what exactly is going on here.
Was this really a malicious intent on the part of a colleague? Or is this all just a big misunderstanding? Perhaps this person avoids your gaze only because he also feels uncomfortable due to confusion, but he does not want to point out your boss’s mistake before everyone?
Perhaps your initial assumption will be correct, and a colleague is actually just stealing your ideas. But in any case, it is important that you find out the details of the situation before scandal.
Ask questions
Ok, but how exactly do you know more about what's going on here? Well, you probably want to ask some clarifying questions.
It is tempting to start with the accusations and point your finger at the one who offended you, but, psychologists say, asking questions, you can better understand what is really happening, without unnecessarily aggressive actions.
Instead of saying right away: “Wait a minute, it was my idea!”, Try asking something like: “Is this a change in the process we talked about for coffee yesterday?” You can ask this question right at the meeting or one on one with a colleague - choose for yourself what suits you best.
If this person answers: “Yes, it was you who came up with this original idea!”, The whole question will be resolved right there. But if instead he answers with a simple “yes” or “no” (or, even worse, categorically denies your contribution), then you can be sure that there is indeed malicious intent.
Approach a person directly
If a person did not take the opportunity to give you credit, it can be assumed that you are incredibly outraged. You clench your jaws and fists under the table, and you need tremendous willpower not to make a scene here and now. In fact, you can talk right now and say that it was your idea. However, keep in mind that this approach is not always well accepted, especially if you do not have any evidence.
Instead, it is best to contact a colleague directly. So, after the meeting, take this person aside and state your thoughts. It might look, for example, like this: “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about what happened at today's meeting. The boss seemed to think that improving the process was your idea.But when I think that we both know that I just discussed this proposal with you ... I appreciate that you thought it was a great idea, but it is important for me that I receive recognition and appreciation for my own work and contribution. Can we talk about how to do it right? "
We hope that your colleague will want to enter into a conversation and make the best decision that will suit both of you. Invite him to send out a newsletter for the whole team, in which he will tell you that the idea belongs to you, you can just go together to the leadership and explain the situation.
Know when it's time to contact your boss
It is always important to understand when it is time to turn to leadership. Perhaps this was a constant problem, and a colleague continues to steal your ideas. Or maybe he does not want to enter into a conversation with you about the incident, and it is important for you that this does not go unnoticed.
If you tried to cope with the situation yourself, but to no avail, ask for a meeting with your immediate boss to solve the problem. You can explain that you do not want to seem greedy or petty, but you care about your work and your ideas. This conversation will be very useful if you can come up with any evidence of your original work or idea, whether it is an email indicating the date of your proposal or some notes that you made when planning the proposal.
Add value to your voiced idea
Here is one of the last tips to outline your own ideas, without having to be overly direct or aggressive: prepare more information.
Even if one of your colleagues voiced your idea first, let the others understand who exactly this idea belongs to! Add facts, data, joke, participate in the discussion.