VIR-III-0036
“I quietly let people think my team's ideas were mine.”
You never claim it outright. You just don't correct the impression, let the 'we' become 'I' in the retelling, absorb credit that belonged to someone quieter than you. It's small each time and it's theft each time. Owning your wins means owning only your wins. The credit you're skimming is building a reputation on other people's backs, and they notice even when they say nothing.
Your Practice
- Name the last idea you let people think was yours. Whose was it really?
- Go correct the record where it landed — 'that was actually her idea.'
- Going forward, name contributors by reflex, especially when it costs you a little shine.
- Notice you don't need the borrowed credit. Your real wins are enough.