GIVE CREDIT
I recently read a newspaper article recounting various examples of refusal to give credit where due. According to the article, it is common for supervisors to claim credit for subordinates' successes and this infuriates the subordinates. The article discusses various ways to seek credit when due.
I had several thoughts after I read the article. First, it's sad that people want to claim credit for the work of others. I have some sympathy for supervisors who want to share credit with their co-workers. After all, in a healthy work environment everyone contributes to the successes of the group. I have no sympathy for anyone who claims sole credit for another's work, just as I condemn anyone who intentionally deceives in any situation. False claims shouldn't be made and shouldn't be tolerated.
Second, I understand the fury. In a competitive world, people need to be judged (and rewarded) on their actual performances and in many job situations there's little opportunity to correct the record when a supervisor lies. I thought about the way the world should work, where people's contributions would be known and rewards would be apportioned accordingly, but I recognize that's unreal. Especially in large organizations, people aren't always known at all, let alone known for their good work. I suppose if such supervisors' conduct continues, it will be noticed eventually and rewards will be re-evaluated, but that might take a long time and the solution still might not restore justice.
Finally, I concluded that the only good answer is the feeling of self-worth. If the supervisors were secure in their situations, they wouldn't need to claim credit for the good performance of others in an inappropriate way. But it's also true that if the rest of us were secure in our own minds, we wouldn't need applause or credit for doing a good job; doing a good job would be reward enough. I recognize that material needs interfere with my answer: We have to make a living and credit makes a difference. However, we can set our goals without abandoning the practical.
I think that's the real lesson of all this. Without ignoring our material needs and the practical, we can try to do better. We need to give credit where credit is due and we must seek credit when deserved. But injustice will continue and we'll continue to be irate if we look to external support for our rewards. If we look inward and recognize that the only support we need is from ourselves, we won't care about what others think about us. In fact, in most situations, we're the only ones who know whether we did a good job or not. To the extent material needs allow us, let's try to achieve comfort and happiness from self-knowledge and not look to others to for our rewards, for our self-worth.
[There will be no new column next week. As I mentioned before, I'll be on vacation without internet access. But I'll return the following week with a full report of what I learn on vacation.]
5-5-03
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