Chapter 9

The Credit Stealer

The Problem

You’ve put in long hours on a project, and some of your best ideas made the final cut. Yet no one knows it. When your colleague presented the final proposal at a recent team meeting, she didn’t specifically claim all the credit for herself. But she avoided mentioning you and used the pronoun “I” every time she could. Afterward, your boss thanked her for doing such a great job—and your colleague still said nothing about your contributions. Once or twice this kind of thing could be an honest mistake. But it happens all the time. How will you ever get ahead if no one sees the good work you do?

Why It Happens

People may appear to take credit for your work without realizing it. When they’re making a presentation ...

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