As I write this series of articles entitled “A Management Vice”, I find myself unable to decide which of them is more irritating, infuriating, frustrating, or just plain unacceptable.  Suffice to say, taking credit for the work of others is right up near the top.

As a Freshmen in college, I vividly recall the number of times one of my professors made plain to us the definition of  plagiarism and elaborated upon the many forms in which they had experienced it and the punishments for it. The core message we all received was that taking credit for something done by someone else was DISHONEST and WRONG.

In the workplace, this vice by a manager is rarely as blatant — and easily detectable — as trying to pass off a “Reader’s Digest” article as your class term paper. In the workplace, this vice is more insidious because it usually happens behind a bosses’ closed-door when a manager claims credit for a subordinate’s or colleague’s idea or accomplishment.  In many cases, the innocent victim of this lie remains unaware unless by some chance accident they happen upon the truth.

I leave it to others to speculate upon a manager’s motivation for engaging in dishonesty. Here I want to focus on the two critical reasons why this particular vice is so harmful and potentially self-destructive.

First, one of a managers most important responsibilities is the showcasing of  subordinate talent, potential and accomplishment. Without their manager’s willingness to give honest credit where it is due, a subordinate’s path to career success and advancement becomes substantially and unfairly harder.  Taking behind-the-back credit for what a subordinate has done represents a betrayal of the trust and dependency inherent in the superior-subordinate relationship.

Second, because this vice tends to become an habitual pattern, it almost certainly will come to light eventually.  A subordinate, colleague or superior will at some point uncover an instance or two of misrepresenting the true author of something and call into question the manager’s capacity for honesty.  If this happens often enough, the damage to a manager’s reputation and career can become permanent.

Of all the personal qualities we never wish to have questioned, it is our judgment and honesty.  Once these are called into doubt and backed by facts, the damage is difficult to undo.

Couple the potential personal damage with the harm done to those whose accomplishments and ideas were stolen, it is easy to see why the best managers avoid practicing this vice.

UPDATED May 2026

Categories: Communicating Effectively, Self-Management

Tags: advice for managers, best managers, effective management and leadership, effective managers and leaders, exercising authority, line management, management advice, Managing & Leading, motivational management, motovational managers and leaders