What should I do if my boss takes credit for my work?
Dear Deb:
Recently I completed a major project for a $1.2 million per year client. I was the project manager, reporting to my boss who is the Director of Client Engagements. I led a team of 7. We met all deliverables, on time and within profit expectations. My team was the only team this quarter that met profit expectations. My boss was largely distant from the project. In fact, numerous times I sent status reports that he admitted he did not have time to read. Yesterday I overhead him with his boss taking credit for the plans, the project success, and saying that he had to step in and “essentially acted as project manager.” It’s not about the credit, but this damages my career and my future at this company. It makes it seem like I am not competent, even though it is the opposite. What should I do?
Todd F., Sunnyvale, CA
Dear Todd:
It is difficult to give you advice without knowing the entire situation, including the culture of your company, the relationship your boss has with his boss, and the clout your boss has. Another item to consider is if you heard the entire conversation accurately. Sometimes we hear bits and pieces and fill in the blanks with false assumptions. With all of those things said, here is an approach you may want to consider. You may want to talk with your boss and ask for his assessment of how you performed in the recent project. Probe for any areas of improvement or development. If you get positive feedback and if you sense the conversation is going well, you could ask your boss if he would be willing to make a note for your personnel file.
I would not recommend telling him that you overhead him taking credit for your work. Even if it is true, it would not help your situation politically. If you go over his head, that too would be detrimental to your career.
Another tactic going forward would be to try to gain visibility when working on large projects. How you do this would depend on the culture of your company.
If you have a question for Deb, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com. The Ask Deb column appears every Friday on our blog at the Careers Done Write website.