Frances Horibe's

Confronting a Co-Worker who Stole Your Idea If a co-worker stole your idea, should you confront him? After all, you can’t let people get ahead by copping others’ ideas. In the last post, YOU floated a new product idea with Emmett, your co-worker. He pooh-poohed it which discouraged you from presenting it to your mutual boss, Len. At the next staff meeting, Len praises Emmett for the same idea and assigns Emmett to work on developing it. You make it to your cubicle before you explode to your office neighbor, Brenda. You: The gall of the guy! That was my idea! Brenda: (smiling) Emmett? You: How did you know? Brenda: Welcome to the club. You: Huh? Brenda: The Burned-by-Emmett Club. We’re all members. You: What did you do? Brenda: (shrugs) What can you do? But in your cubicle, you can’t settle down. The gall of the guy! I can’t believe it! And even: what a group of cowards—no wonder Emmett gets away with it. The more you think about it, the madder you get. No way. No way! You jump up and head to Emmett’s cubicle. Confronting Emmett who stole your idea You: I’ve got a bone to pick with…

It happens. Doesn’t matter the industry sector, company, or complexity of work. But what do you do if a co-worker steals your idea? Let’s follow this scenario. Emmett, despite his name, seems like an okay guy. He showed you the ropes when you started three months ago. The other guys seem good too, but more often than not, Emmett picks you up for lunch. You think you’re getting the hang of the job and even have an idea you want to pitch to your boss (Len). But you want to bounce it off Emmett first to see if it’s likely to fly. You: Hey, can I pick your brain? Emmett: Sure, what’s up? You: I want to pitch a new product to Len but I wanted to run it by you first. [You explain your Great Idea] Emmett: Yeah, interesting. But I don’t know if Len will go for it. You: Why not? Emmett: (shrugs) It’s not really our market. You: But that’s just the point—it will expand the appeal of the product. Emmett: Yeah, but it would have to be a whole different marketing approach. You: But wouldn’t it be worth it? Emmett: (shakes his head) I dunno—Len’s been…

A Risky Way to Leverage Your Boss Fighting with His The previous post outlined a way that you might be able to appease your boss Trevor if his boss, Jennifer, starts assigning you work. As I mentioned, might work, might not. Depends on how good Trevor is at maneuvering to get what he wants. A gutsy but risky way out was suggested by a friend[1]who is very politically astute. You: Hi, Jennifer. Got a moment? Jennifer: Matt! Ah, sure. You: You know, I love the assignments you’re assigning me. They’re really challenging. Jennifer: And you’re doing a great job. You: It’s just—and of course Trevor hasn’t said anything—I get the impression he finds the situation a bit awkward. Jennifer: Well, that’s too bad. You: Look, I don’t want to cause any hard feelings, so I was wondering whether you would consider giving me a temporary assignment reporting to you. Just for the duration. Jennifer: How would that help? You: Well, it would regularize the situation for Trevor and allow me to focus on your work. Jennifer: Hmm—not a bad idea. The Pros and Cons of this risky move If things go well, you are in the money. But it might…

When Your Boss is in a Fight with His In the previous post, your boss’ boss, Jennifer, was assigning work directly to you, skipping your boss (Trevor). On the one hand, this gives you great profile. On the other, it can get you into hot water with Trevor. Look at it from Trevor’s point of view. Jennifer is signaling she doesn’t consider him value-added. No matter how true, it would be hard not to resent that. In fact, the more true, the more it will be resented. Trevor can’t pick a fight with Jennifer (well, not if he has any political savvy), but he can take it out on you. Two things which bear repeating This is Jennifer’s problem which she is handling inappropriately. If you have a very collegial environment or a good boss, none of this may apply. But don’t assume that too quickly. Undercurrents are undercurrents because they’re hard to spot. If you’re not sure, I’d assume it is an issue. Okay, three. Trevor can hurt you and your career. Your concern is to avoid being the inadvertent instrument of humiliating Trevor. What to do when your boss is in a fight with his Well, obviously, it’s…

Caught in the Middle when My Boss’ Boss Asks My Opinion In the last post, we covered what can happen if your boss’ boss asks you for work when your boss is out of the office. As we saw, if your boss (Trevor) is in dinosaur training school, he won’t be pleased. But it can get worse. You could be caught in the middle. What if Trevor’s boss (Jennifer) starts sending work directly, without going through Trevor at all? About a week after the last incident, an e-mail from Jennifer. You look at the top line. No c.c. to Trevor. “Matt, I really liked your work and want your thoughts on the attached document. How feasible is the proposal?”   Would that happen? Absolutely. Especially in smaller companies where there aren’t that many levels of management. And often, nobody gets their knickers in a knot about it, particularly if it is a very collegial environment. If your work place has that quality, you can skip this post. If you’re not sure, keep reading. Nope, I’m talking about when your boss Trevor does get his knickers in a K. And by the by, just because he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t mean…