If you’ve been a victim of a genuine case of credit snatching, then you know how evil it can get.  How else can you describe an act where someone takes your idea and claims it as their own?  To make matters worse, THEY get the kudos for it and not you.  So how do you protect yourself?

Preventing credit snatching
Still the best way to avoid getting your ideas stolen is to prevent it.  That way, you don’t leave yourself open for an attack, a would-be thief would be discouraged from stealing from you and you’ll free yourself of the burden of proof.  No one gets hurt and you don’t need to lose a few nights’ sleep seething and thinking evil thoughts.

To prevent someone from stealing your credit, do the following:

Document your best ideas.
Write down your ideas and put a date next to them.  If you have supporting documents, printouts, drawings, illustrations, newspaper clippings, photographs and other stuff that have inspired you to come up with that idea, then keep those in handy.  This will help you prove that the idea is really yours because only you can explain how it was created.

Leave evidence behind.
If your boss or an officemate frequently steals your idea (or you’re afraid they would), leave a paper trail behind.  Don’t rely on verbal communication to share your ideas, especially the best, most amazing ones.  You’ll leave them vulnerable to credit snatching.

Send an e-mail or a written memo instead.  Make a copy of the original and keep that.  If you like, you could even have the recipient sign the copy as acknowledgement that they have received the original.  If your boss has a secretary, for example, have him/her sign the copy of the memo so the idea can be traced back to you later.

Have someone stand as a witness for you.
When you send an e-mail, send a copy to a colleague or another superior who is involved in the matter.  You could also reveal your idea in a very public way, such as during a meeting, a group discussion or even at lunch, when there is a group of people present to vouch for you.

Safeguard your ideas.
Whether you keep your ideas as electronic files or as doodles in your paper organizer, be sure to prevent people from snooping around.  Keep your files protected against potential credit snatchers and don’t just throw off great ideas like they were pieces of candy.  That is, if you want to be acknowledged as their main source.  If you don’t or can’t trust your boss or officemates, then practice a healthy paranoia.  In most cases, it’s better safe than sorry.

Credit snatching, idea poaching or glory-grabbing are just euphemisms for an ugly reality in a work environment called idea theft.  But should you really sound the alarm and raise a ruckus?  Here are some things you might want to know before you start accusing someone of credit snatching:

The Good
They say that imitation is the greatest compliment.  If someone steals your ideas, then it must be something really great.  If for nothing else, you should be proud that someone else thought your idea was amazing enough to pass off as their own.  That is, if and when you’re given due credit.

The Bad
Before you ever complain about someone stealing your credit, make sure it was really yours to begin with.  Don’t make empty claims about something that you thought of a few nights ago and that an officemate suddenly used for his/her presentation during a department meeting.  Just because you thought of something doesn’t automatically make you its owner.  Otherwise, hundreds of thousands of people around the world would have to be paid royalties for the idea of solar-powered appliances.

Unless you can prove that you have the plan or procedure or source of an idea, you had better keep your mouth shut.  The fact is that you might have thought of something but someone else beat you to it.  It’s like naming a new supernova.  You and your neighbor might have seen it at the same time but he reported it first, so he gets the credit.

If, however, it really was your idea, then be ready to prove yourself. 

The Ugly
Trying to prove that your boss or officemate stole your credit can be very challenging and intimidating in most respects.  If you can’t prove it, you’ll come off as delusional.  If they are too arrogant and unapologetic, then you’re in for a tough battle ahead.

And of course, there’s the huge IF when it comes to proving who deserves the credit.  Maybe you felt like you did a pretty good job at creating an idea or the procedures that would outline the idea and bring it to life. 

But what about your boss or officemate?  What if they did have a considerable contribution to making your idea a success?  What if your idea is just a small cog in the great big machine that your boss or officemate has created?  Wouldn’t it be like claiming credit for the success of a sticky chocolate brownie fudge ice cream flavor just because you provided the cow who gave the milk?

The bottomline: Accusing someone of credit snatching is a very serious allegation.  Before you even open your mouth to complain, make sure that the idea/proposal/plan/presentation is really, genuinely, unequivocally yours.  After all, there is a big difference between being a creator and an innovator.  If you just adapted an original idea and tweaked it, then the one in your hands right now cannot be considered ‘original’.  And by the way, you ought to give credit to the one who inspired you.

If you don’t have the proof or a reliable witness, bummer for you.  In the end, it will all be your word against someone else’s.  Should this happen, chalk it up to bad experience and be careful about safeguarding and documenting your precious (and original) ideas next time.

P.S.
If you must raise hell and high water regarding an idea, make sure it’s a good one.  It can be soooo embarrassing to go ballistic about something that would later prove to be a dud.