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Like all career-focused managers, one thing you are proactive about is creating new ideas. This will lead to the improvement of the company where you work. Furthermore, you want to do exceptionally well, and have your ideas advance your career and get the promotions you deserve.

After all, there is no better way to become a rising star than to generate new concepts which advance your company. However, you want to get the credit you deserve, and you need to understand what career goals for managers entail, so you can best use them to your advantage.

Your boss is going to take your ideas and present them to their seniors, this is how the structure of nearly all organizations work. What you don’t want is for your ideas to become your boss’, and for their to receive the credit that should be yours. This situation happens a lot, but is often not taken on board when considering what your career goals for managers are. However, this doesn’t mean you should sit back and let it happen. There are things you can do to your advantage and have your ideas heard and seen, and still get the credit you deserve.

Here are some tips to make sure your boss doesn’t steal your ideas:

Share Your Ideas With Your Workmates and Colleagues.

Before going to your boss, share your idea with your colleagues. Whether it is over coffee in the lunchroom or during a meeting, make sure that more people know what you have come up with.

If you are concerned that they may promote your idea as theirs only tell them part of the idea. If you withhold certain aspects, the idea will not be able to be shared fully until you are ready.

Write Down Everything

Keep a journal and diarize everything that you are doing, and even thinking. Many creative people have an “ideas diary” or “light bulb journal”. This is the place where you jot down your thoughts and ideas about anything and everything related to your workplace. The key to making this work is to date each entry.

This way anything and everything you think up will be recorded and is proof you were the first person to think of it.

As well as keeping track of your first spark of imagination and your ideas, you should create a system of files on your computer, which record your conversations and emails you share with your boss. This way you can prove that the concept is yours with a legitimate paper trail. Diarize these too, to further prove each idea is yours.

Speak Up And Be Honest

Perhaps your boss doesn’t realize what they are doing. Take your boss out for lunch or join them for coffee, and make your concerns clear. If you are nervous, jot down your thoughts before so they are clearer in your head. That way you will be able to verbalize them better.

Rather than confront your boss, and be adversarial, take your approach from a more moderate stance. Consider that they might not be aware of your feelings. They also might not be aware of what they are doing.

However, if you believe that your boss is acting to their own advantage, then take special note of the above steps and protect yourself.

Whatever their motives, why not suggest a shared approach with your boss? That way you will get the credit for your ideas, and your boss will get the credit for encouraging and supporting someone who is a real benefit to the organization – you.

Are You Coming Across as Overly Clever?

Are you threatening your boss inadvertently?

Some people are naturally outgoing and love to share, and if you are one of these people you may be seen as a threat by your boss.

They may not appreciate your outgoing personality or your ability to come up with new and exciting ideas.

Don’t tone yourself down; that would be ingenuous to your true self. You are the rising star in your company and have a right to pave the way to your own career.

Instead, keep a proper paper trail, share your ideas with your colleagues, be open and honest, and most importantly, true to yourself.

And always remember:

Great managers are made. Not born.

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