How to Get My Boss to Stop Taking Credit for My Ideas

Posted on October 21st, 2010 by Keith Ferrazzi

Tuesday I posted the questions I answered for to the GMA Advice Guru application. Here’s another one.

What would you tell this person: "My boss keeps taking credit for my ideas. What should I do?" (150 words or less)

You need your boss to become your evangelist -- ideally without even realizing that’s what’s happening.  Keep doing everything you can to make him or her successful; over time, in most cases, senior executives realize how important junior employees are to their successes -- and they begin to behave accordingly.  The last thing a successful boss wants is to lose the employee who’s doing all the best work!

To that end, your strategy also needs to be promotional.  Don’t limit your creativity to only your boss -- start networking in (and outside) the company, and generously offer to take on additional tasks for others around you.  Your talents will only go unnoticed if you let them go unnoticed; the  brighter your light shines, the more people will see it -- perhaps even including your boss, who, day in and day out, is closer to your wattage than almost anyone else.

How have you turned a difficult boss into your ally?

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4 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Another suggestion is to put all your ideas in writing and include your name.

  2. Hi, I would like to have your opinion about "put all your ideas in writing and include your name". I hate to have to work thinking that something bad will happen, or that I will need a proof of being not guilty. In my experience, this attitude becomes in "send me an e-mail to do it, please"...
    thanks

  3. I really like what Napolean Hill (Think and Grow Rich) has to say on this topic. To paraphrase - if you work for someone who does not appreciate your going the extra mile as an employee, go find someone else to work for. I think this is good advice. Most people who are able to skyrocket their careers do so with the help of a supervising mentor.

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