Taking Credit vs. Giving Credit: Getting Through the Quiet Workplace Struggle
In every boardroom, office, or Zoom call, there is a hidden power struggle in the background: the conflict between taking credit and giving credit. Although credit typically has concrete connections to promotion, bonuses, and one’s reputation, who receives credit-or doesn’t-can create or destroy team spirits and company culture.
The Allure of Taking Credit
Let’s face it-being noticed is pleasant. It makes our work worthwhile and typically leads to new possibilities. But in shared working environments, the desire to take credit for collective achievement can seep into minor instances of self-promotion, even if that means undermining other people’s work. Whether it’s stealing someone’s spotlight in a presentation or rewording someone else’s concept to introduce it as your own, these behaviours create covert resentment and erode trust.
The Quiet Power of Giving Credit
Conversely, giving credit can be as painful as surrendering your center stage. Yet here’s the truth: leaders who continually give credit to others are not viewed as weak-rather, they’re viewed as secure and believable. When credit is given, teams thrive. Individuals feel appreciated, valued, and motivated to contribute more.
Studies suggest that freely and generously giving credit will assist inclusive leaders in building loyal, high-performing teams. A spontaneous “That was her idea” or “This victory is the team’s” will contribute significantly towards building a positive culture of cooperation and respect.
Gender and Credit: A Deeper Divide
The effort to be attributed becomes increasingly more bitter to minority and women professionals whose thoughts are dismissed or appropriating by someone else. The practice, colloquially called “hepeating” (the act of a man providing input previously ignored until repeated by him), is maddening in the standard office scenario. Providing applause where applause is due isn’t merely the moral thing to do-although that would be sufficient, naturally-but also the fair one.
The Way Forward: How to Get a Balance
So how do you balance demanding your own value and recognizing others’ value? Here are some tips:
Write Down and Speak Up Clearly: Document your contribution and be prepared to articulate your contribution to projects.
Recognize Others Publicly: In meetings, emails, and reports, highlight the work of your peers.
Highlight “We” Over “Me”: Rewrite the story from individual heroics to team triumph.
Voice Up for the Unsung: If you see someone’s effort going unnoticed, compliment them. It earns you good will and demonstrates your integrity.
Practice Self-Awareness: Ask yourself, “Am I giving credit deservedly-or just trying to advance?”
Conclusion: It does not have to be a zero-sum game. In fact, in the workplaces where the credit is circulating freely and fairly, everyone wins. The silent battle between giving and taking credit can be transformed into a collective victory-one where victory is truly collective and no one stands in someone else’s shadow.
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