My teammate is taking all the credit…

How do I get recognized for my accomplishments??

Jackson is beyond frustrated. He was the one who came up with the idea for improving work flow on the project by sharing information via the portal and he was the one who designed the entire portal that the team is using for that purpose. Yet his teammate, Sam, has taken all the credit for the work! Sam sent off an email to their boss to tell her that he came up with a few ideas for getting the project done quicker. Is he kidding!  He not only didn’t come up with the idea but specifically told Jackson it was a stupid idea and a waste of time. All of a sudden – because it has been successful and it is obvious by the fact that the team is now meeting the deadlines and even ahead of schedule – it is all Sam’s idea.

This isn’t the first time Sam has done this to Jackson.  He did something similar the last project they worked on together.  For his efforts in taking the credit in that instance, he got a raise!  Jackson knew he had to do something…but what??

He reached out to a few of the other teammates which whom he had a friendship.  They weren’t surprised by Sam’s actions but felt there wasn’t much that Jackson could do about it short of just going right up to the boss and saying that Sam is a liar and that the ideas were all Jackson’s, not Sam’s.  Not the best approach Jackson knew.  But he had to do something.

Options for Jackson to improve the situation

There are a few things Jackson should consider to get recognized for the work he is doing.

• Write up a brief memo to the project sponsor telling him about the work that Jackson did on the portal and the use of it by the team to improve workflow.  Jackson should tell the project sponsor that he would like to spend just a few minutes showing it to him and walking him through how it works.
• In the next status report write up of the project, Jackson should include the work he did on the portal and how it is being used by the team – this will get to all the stakeholders on the project.
• Jackson needs to have a conversation privately with Sam and tell him that his taking the credit for ideas is not acceptable and frankly is unfair, dishonest and unethical.  He might mention that Sam has done some great things on his own and should not feel like he has to steal others’ ideas or take credit for what they have done.
• In a meeting with the boss, Jackson might have a conversation about the portal he developed and how it improved workflow to help the team meet the project’s goals.  Since we know it is likely that Sam already told the boss it with his idea and he developed the portal, Jackson should provide information that makes it obvious he did the work and not Sam.  There is no need to tell the boss that Sam did not do the work, by talking about the details it will be obvious who did it.  Should the boss come right out and ask who actually came up with the idea and developed the portal, Jackson should certainly say he did so and mention that the boss may want to talk to the other team members about its value to the project.

Your thoughts?  What else can Jackson do to get recognized for his accomplishments?  What would you advise him?  Please share your thoughts in the Comments field below.  Thanks!