The Stolen Credit Game
You envision a new product--say, a pedal-powered toaster oven. Your boss calls the project a lemon; it winds up a peach. Next thing you know, the great naysayer is getting slapped on the back for his phenomenally brilliant new venture. And you're still pushing papers in your windowless crypt at the end of the hall.
Game analysis:
"Maybe it's jealousy...He wishes he had invented the pedal-powered toaster oven. It's possible that the guy hasn't had a major coup himself in years. Maybe if some young upstart like you gets credit, he sees himself on the way out," says Jeffrey Kahn, M.D., a New York psychiatrist who treats executives, and president of WorkPsych Associates, a mental health consulting firm.
How to play it:
To anyone who will listen, praise your boss for how supportive he was to you on the toaster oven project. This will let others know--oh so subtly--that this was your baby. And--with any luck--it'll also get back to your boss how glowingly you speak of him.
- Demonstrate your knowledge. At meetings with the corporate elders, figure out ways to bring up points about the toaster oven project--inject fine little crumbs that only an insider could know.
- Be your own spin meister. Shameless self-promotion might be the only way you'll ever get any credit, says Mercer. "Build allies in other departments. Plug your successes. Write articles about your projects for the company newsletter. Create a tidal wave in your favor that will wash right over your boss's head."
- Be creative. There are sneaky but harmless ways to make yourself look more valuable to the company. One young exec, we'll call him Tim, teamed up with a pal of his in another division, whom we'll call Tom. Tim CCs Tom on all of his memos; Tom does the same for Tim. This way, each of them appears to have considerable importance in the company. Why else would they be CC'd on so many different subjects?
