Q & A Table of Contents
My Team And I Taught Her Everything; Now She’s Stealing The Credit
From: Kelly, Gallipolis, Ohio
Question: I have hired a woman who I knew did not have the required experience for the job, but I thought she had the ability and desire to learn.
I have spent 6 months of many hours teaching her on the job. In addition I have utilized highly paid senior managers to provide many hours of on the job training, in other words doing with her the job side by side. She has been successful.
The problem occurs I overhear others/outsiders giving her praise and compliments. She accepts the compliments as her own and has never given others credit for their help. At times she has received compliments for what I know to be other's work and again accepts the compliments without giving credit to others.
This really bothers me, hurts my feelings and probably the feelings of others who I know have invested much time and effort to help her.
Should I approach her on the matter and if so, how?
Response: There are two factors at play in the situation you describe. When someone takes credit for things that other folks did, their mentors might take it as a hit in the ego. We all want to get the credit we deserve and many folks resent it when others steal our thunder.
On the other hand, in a business situation, when someone is dealing with outsiders, it is awfully important to give those outsiders the impression that every member of the team is talented and can do the job well. Your business would not gain if she were to tell folks who compliment her, “Thanks for your nice words, but I really don’t deserve them. Other folks in the company are more experienced than me — and it’s their work that’s made me look good.” That would leave folks with the impression that you hire folks who are really not up to the job and take away outsiders’ confidence in your company’s capacity to deliver. Most people want to deal with people who come across as knowledgeable and able to deliver in terms of their jog responsibilities.
In spite of that pragmatic analysis, hurting others’ egos is, at best, bad manners. Thus, you need to take a well-considered approach when you talk with this woman.
You should bring her into a private conversation and begin by asking her about her progress and development on the job.
Let her know that it would be helpful for your assessment of the job performance of others in the company if you could find out who she credits for contributing to her development and success.
Ask her how she has acknowledged her colleagues’ help — both directly to them and indirectly in giving them credit in discussing the team’s talents with outsiders.
Her responses to this line of conversation will give you insights into how her mind works and give you the opportunity to let her know how important it is to the team’s collective ego and consequent productivity to share credit and/or give credit where it is due. Remember, you should have an inner glow knowing you and your colleagues have taken a diamond in the rough and made her into (something approaching) a jewel. It sounds as if there are still some rough edges to smooth. If you do the job well, it will reflect well on you, on the company, and improve this woman’s value as a member of the team.
Good luck,
Steve
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