
Isn't it lovely when accolades come our way? It’s so rewarding when our work is publicly acknowledged and praised.
<p style="text-align: left;">But what happens when <i>you</i> don’t deserve all the applause? When that “I” you used is really a “we?”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Five of us had worked for almost a year on a project to improve morale, increase performance, and reduce turnover in one of our company's locations. This assignment had been layered on top of already full task lists; however the work was a labor of love for many of the project team members. We were drawn by the lure of having the freedom to create whatever was needed to achieve our goals.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Several months into the project, improvements in metrics started trickling in, then surged. Employees were smiling again. Recruiters were less frenzied.  The project team was – as they say in corporate America – "cautiously optimistic" that our mix of solutions had generated the right alchemy for a turnaround.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Then came the company leadership meeting. The day when “I” slammed into “we.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In his opening remarks, the president showered rave reviews on a woman from the project team, highlighting all her great efforts in turning around a troubled facility. He read the email she had sent to him. The email was full of “I” phrases:  I discovered, I researched, I thought, I did, I, I, I. There was no mention of her other four team members. She beamed; the rest of us were crushed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Could this be you? Have you tooted your horn yet forgotten the orchestra that accompanied you?</p>

<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>4 rules for taking credit</b></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">Take solo credit under these circumstances:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">1) You single-handedly completed all the work to successful results with zero assistance from anyone else.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">2) The good work you did was all your idea.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">3) You executed your idea, and the outcome crashed and burned...big time.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">4) You're a boss, your team executed an assignment at your bidding, and the end result was awful.</p>

<h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>How the goblins will get you if you steal credit</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">1)  Now there's a mere four-and-a-half degrees of separation between us in an ever-connected world. You just never know when a new boss was one of those poor slobs whose work you stole.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">2) Be prepared to always work alone<b>.</b>  No one wants to partner up with or help a glory-grabber because there's no  point in signing on to be invisible.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">3) Your reputation is toast. It doesn’t get any more powerful than word-of-mouth praise — or condemnation. You’re in the driver’s seat as to which story people will tell about you.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">4) The crows come home to roost. Someday when you least expect it, your boss or some other big shot will ask you – in a very public venue – for details of “your” terrific work. That’s when your credibility and career path hit a dead-end.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Taking and sharing credit: it’s your choice, your story, and your character.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">And you’re in control.</p>
Image: <a href="http://winkingcatcomics.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Winking Cat Comics</a>