My Question of the Day: You pay for cable/satellite TV each month, but you discover your neighbor has an illegal connection. What do you do?

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The Question: Your idea will triple your company’s profits, but you know your boss will take all the credit. What do you do?

My 2 Cents: There are fewer things worse than working for someone who takes credit for other people’s work. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s been in this situation. Having said that, this is part of the “nature of the beast” when you work for someone else and are subject to whomever they put in authority.

So what do you do when you have an excellent idea for which you know your boss will take credit? Some of you said to make sure someone else knows about the idea and/or to send the idea by email and CC others. This may be a possible workaround to getting the credit you deserve. However, what happens if I work a job where I don’t have email and/or my boss only reports to the head of the company and there’s no other person with clout to whom I can tell my idea?

Some of you said that I should quit and start my own company and use the idea for my own gain. Is this feasible if I don’t have the capital and/or contacts that the current company I work for has to start my business and capitalize on this one idea? What if when I recheck the contract I signed when I took the job there’s a “non-compete” clause that says I won’t take any ideas from the company or any of my own ideas that would cause direct competition for the company and branch out on my own or share that information with other companies for a specified number of years?

If I have an idea that will triple the company’s profits, and I know my boss will take all the credit, I have a few of choices:

• I can keep my idea to myself and hope to possibly catch the person alone who would be able to execute the idea and make sure I was given credit for my ingenuity.
• I could tender my resignation, wait the obligatory amount of time for the “non-compete” clause to lapse and hope the market doesn’t change and my idea hasn’t become moot.
• I can tell my boss the idea, let him/her screw me over, and feel good knowing it was my idea regardless of who gets the credit (not).

Knowing me, I would keep the idea to myself and try to catch the decision maker on his/her way in to or out of work and tell him/her my idea. That, or I’d request a meeting with my boss and the decision maker and tell them my idea at the same time complete with a written presentation that lays out the idea and addresses possible problems and solutions when implementing the idea. As an I.T. chick, I wouldn’t email my idea, since I know that emails can be destroyed or altered. It doesn’t happen easily, but it does happen if you know what you’re doing.

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Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:

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jigsawverbiage Write your boss an email about your idea and cc someone else who has pull. Electronic trails don’t disappear easily.

aaronhalford +your roll as a worker is most always to make your boss look good. usurping that power structure will get you nowhere fast.

aaronhalford Reading that EXACT situation in HBR mag. Lose the battle (boss gets credit) to win the war (boss promotes you latter).

IAMSY Been there done that! Now, I keep ALL my ideas to my damn self! Pat on the back + No financial gain SUCKS!

Tazzee tell my boss. There’s a reason he’s the boss and I’m not. I’m sure I’d get compensated in some way.

Grimsta2003 I’ll let my boss know about the idea. If he decides to take it I’ll anoymously let the comp know as well!!!

brickworkz You START your OWN business and do it.

shargrove QOTD: If the goal is to help the company, present your idea in writing, if you boss is smart, he/she will give u some credit

PROTECTED TWEETER I’m my own boss. When I wasn’t tho’, I left that dysfunction.

ObiOrion you share the idea with your 3rd line manager and ask if it is something they would like shared with your 1st&2nd line manager

Pettra88 Submit the idea in writing and in public.

queenesther If no one will ever know that it was my idea, I keep it to myself – & seriously consider going rogue & doing my own thing.

jreneker QOTD: Shop it around. Get input/advise from others to make the idea better. Make it a team effort w/ or w/o the boss.

md20737 I would CC My boss and his boss on it.

roaddoggz I would still deliver the idea because its about the company growing and me having a job instead of who get credit

ibster Announce the idea in a large meeting like I’d just thought of it & make sure that plenty people realise it’s my idea.

atane I would propose my idea via an email, so that I have documented proof that it was my idea.

LadyJay91 tI’d take the idea that will tripple the company’s profit to my boss’s BOSS! That way credit will be given where credit is due!

PROTECTED TWEETER I would share my idea regardless of who gets the credit! God looks out for his people! When good deeds are done all will know!

Hadji4ever I need credit 4 what I do so my idea will be kept 2 myself.And would be presented 2 a rival company 4 a more competitive pay.

tclarkusa Sometimes credit isn’t given when it’s due but I’d def update my resume’ or consider going out on my own.

agonyofvictory you get a partner or 2, secure angel funding & use the idea to launch your own co.

mochadad Start my own business.

DiamondEmory My job is to make my boss look good. I give up the idea, make my company $$ & mention it come review time! Everybody wins.

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The commentary doesn’t have to end!

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