What Would You Do When If Someone Stole Your Idea?

Love them anyway I say and…

People take ‘credit’ (or should that read admiration and applause) for ideas that didn’t light up and go ping in their own head.

Famous peeps too including: Thomas-I-didn’t-invent-the-light-bulb-Edison, go and visit The Oatmeal for the deets.

I’m not speaking about copying work, that’s plain old plagiarism. If you do that. Stop. Have belief in your own work.

No, more about when people blatantly jump on your idea and tell people (or let them believe) that they were the original idea-thinker-upper.

Do you knowingly steal? Stop it, okay? It’s highly annoying. And quite frankly we really don’t know what to do when you do it. Which is just ridiculous because you’re the one being unethical.

You’re the boss you say? We don’t care if you’re the CEO, stealing is wrong. Use your by-title-only-power on us little old cogs if you must, but pray that the organisation never introduces 360 degree feedback — ’cause you’ll be screwed.

Anyhoo, happened or happening to you?

Do you…?

Leave it? (Head says: Am I letting people walk over me?)
Put others straight? (Head says: I’ll look like a whiner.)
Tell people it was your idea? (Head says: Throw out your dummy-tit why don’t you.)
Confront them and let them know your pissed? (Head says: Oh no! Conflict.)
Let it go. Learn from the lesson and move on? (Head says: No. What if they do it again?)
Begin to believe in Karma? (Head says: they will get their comeuppance one day!)

What a drama of the head variety?

But does it have to be?

I haven’t got an answer here, there are too many variables. Does it depend on how you live your life and your own values? Does it depend on the impact the borrowing will have: someone getting a promotion because of an idea, a wage rise, a slap on the back and well done?

Or should that matter? Should we confront the borrower regardless of the circumstances, accident or not?

What if the idea is borrowed, implemented and bombs?

What would I suggest? Again, it depends.

But I’d suggest:

Show respect for the person, even though their behaviour and action wasn’t respectful to you.
Lead by example. Even if your situation isn’t solved, give credit to their ideas.
Remember an idea is nothing until it’s implemented. People notice the action, not the thought behind the action.
Find out the intent behind the borrow: was it an accident or malicious. Once is an accident. Twice is a problem.
Own what you feel, own what you say. If you need to have words, have them. With respect, give the other person an opportunity to change their behaviour — they’ll be less defensive if you comment on the behaviour and not them as a person.

But that’s me…