Question: My boss keeps taking credit for my hard work.  All the ideas I give him, he never gives credit to me on those ideas and presents them to management as his own.  I write all his reports for him and he signs them with his name without even putting my name on them.  On top of all of that, he does not show me gratitude for the great work that I do.  Sometimes I feel I am going to explode.  I want to confront him with this issue, but I am not sure if this is the right thing to do.  I tell everyone that I am the person who is really running the show at the department, in hope that my work someday will be noticed.  Please advise.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

This is not an easy situation for anyone.  I understand the frustration of feeling unappreciated and someone taking the credit for something that you did.  I know many people who have gone through a similar situation, including myself. 

Early in my career, I had a boss, we will call him Jack, who always seemed to “steel” my ideas.  He would have me prepare assessments for the client on his behalf.  Of course his request was not formal to me, so everybody thinks that he was working on it, when it was me who put all the sweat and sleepless nights.  When clients had questions regarding the reports, Jack would come to me and ask me for answers, then he takes the answers to the client in the next meeting.  This went on several times, and it felt worse each time.  Finally, I gave the boss a piece of my mind: “what you are asking me to do is like asking an artist to give you directions on painting, when you are not a painter.”  Of course the boss took my comments to heart.  The boss never forgot that move on my part.  He kept giving me lousy reviews.  Upper management knew of my potential, but did not consider me for promotion since I did not get good reviews form the boss.  They probably figured, if I cannot manage my boss, then I cannot be ready to manage a team.  I had to eventually leave the company to another to find a better opportunity of advancement. 

Now, with hind sight being twenty-twenty, I agree with their assessment.   The first person a potential manager gets to manage is his boss.  If one cannot manage the boss, then he or she is not ready to be a manager.  The situation above reflected poorly on my management abilities.  No question the boss was at fault, but so was I.  I could have handled the situation better to my favor.  So, how can one manage such a situation properly? What does managing the boss mean? 

First, remember the following important facts:

A good manager always gives credit to his subordinates for work done by his department.  However, that automatically reflects on his abilities as a manager.  It is to his credit that he hired such talented people, and it is to his credit that he got them working effectively on producing high quality results.  So, if the boss gets credit for your work, he should. 

Do not be confrontational in dealing with this situation.  if the boss tries to undermine your efforts, and try to take all the credit to himself with acknowledging his subordinates, then that is poor leadership on his part, and does not negatively reflect on you.

This is not personal; he  probably does this to everyone else, it is not personal.  Probably others are also on to him.  They know that he steals others’ ideas.  So they usually know who is really behind the good work.  Not acknowledging you reflects on him on the long run more than it reflects on you. 

Look at the positive aspect of the situation: Since you doing a good job reflects positively on the boss, you should feel happy when your work makes the boss look good.  That indirectly shows that you are doing a good job.  This means you have something worth stealing!

Your boss is key to your growth and career path within your company.  You need to work with your boss to advance your career, not against the boss. 

Then, follow these proven steps:

Understand the boss: try to learn as much as possible about your manager.  it will help you understand actions and statement he or she makes, and to anticipate reactions to future situations.

Deal with your negative feelings towards the boss: The problem might lie within you.  Check to ensure that you do not have any prejudice against the boss, his background, his behavior, habits, etc.  

Communicate with the boss: regularly meet with the boss.  Try to understand his values, needs, wants, and ambitions.  Try to listen to the boss more.  Listening is very important.  Not any listening, but active listening, the type that allows you to listen to the boss words and body language and react in an appropriate manner.  do not get defensive with the boss.  Instead try to understand what she is saying and consider everything the boss says as a chance to learn.

Make the boss look good: by speaking highly of her, supporting her, showing respect and courtesy to her.  This is very important.  Remember that what your behavior and what you say about the boss reflects on you more than on her. 

Know when to leave: some bosses build a negative environment around them that will affect your spirit and chances for growth negatively.  In general, if you cannot fix your relationship with the boss, even if you tried, it might be time to move on to another job.

Regards,

Ammar