Shortly after implementing it, one of our customers mentioned to my manager how much she loved Bill’s idea. My manager made time to come by and congratulate my associate for the great idea, and rather than mention that I gave him the idea, Bill’s took full credit for it.

As soon as I heard Bill take credit for MY IDEA, I immediately shouted “Actually, that was MY idea NOT Bill’s idea!”

DOH!

I have no way of knowing how badly I demoralized this young man. I took the wind completely out of his sails and (no surprise here) the change fell completely flat and if I had to bet, I’d say we STILL haven’t implemented that change. It’s so bad, I don’t even remember what the change I suggested was, but I can still see the look of horror on Bill’s (and my manager’s) face.

Thankfully, there’s an old quote that helps keep this mistake in the right perspective:

“It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” – Anonymous

Now, after a long time managing people, I realize this is the only way to be. I’m glad I learned that lesson early on. I’m still far from a perfect manager, but I never worry about who gets the credit for a job well done. Ultimately as the manager, I get measured based on the results of my team, not just my ideas. This frees me up to make my team look good and not to worry about who gets the credit.

Do you have a similar story of needing to take credit for something or a time when someone stole the credit from you? Please share it below in the comments.

Dejected at the drive through courtesy of Squirk

Post from: EveryJoe

Don’t Worry About the Credit

I love Made to Stick for it’s usefulness and it’s easy to understand message. When I follow the suggestions in the book about how to make SUCCESS my message, I write a better article, and I think more clearly, and most likely, you read a better article. For my team, when I think about the story I want them to remember, and I focus on the methods suggested in Made to Stick, my team tunes me in more and does what I need them to do.

The SUCCESS method is brilliant for it’s simplicity:

1. Simplicity
2. Unexpectedness
3. Concreteness
4. Credibility
5. Emotions
6. Stories

Admittedly, this is NOT a get effective quick scheme. It takes more time to convey your ideas using this method…though the time is well spent on the front end for the effectiveness you’ll get on the back end.

So when I was told I could give you a copy of this updated book just for reading Slacker Manager, I jumped at the chance!

I have 1 copy to give away of Made to Stick for you, dear readers.

How can you win a copy?

Pick the step in the SUCCESS method that resonates the most when YOU hear a story. For me, it’s simplicity. The more simple the message, the better it is. It’s why I write straightforward, simple articles for you to read. It works for me.

What works for you?

Leave a comment from now until March 19th, 2009 at 6 PM central, and I’ll pick the winner using a random number using Random.org. If you don’t want to wait to win a copy, go buy Made to Stick NOW! You won’t regret it!

Book cover courtesy of Amazon.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Win Made to Stick