Question: I have a coworker who constantly takes credit for everything I do. They don’t seem to have any guilt or shame, and honestly seem to think that they were the ones who did the majority of the work when in reality all they really do is waste time. How do I deal with this person in the workplace?
Answer: We refer to this type of person as a ‘cat’, who is overly self centered and only looking out for his own best interest. To deal with a cat, monitor your own progress at work. You no longer have the luxury of thinking someone else will see how well you’re doing. It’s annoying, but the reality is, you will need to keep a written log of what you’re doing, how well you did it, and where your ideas came from. The cat will figure out fast not to attempt spotlight stealing with you, because you will calmly (think firm kindergarten teacher) state what you did and how you did it while referring to your log.
You probably know this logically, but make sure you never put any emotional weight into what a cat says about you. If you’ve owned a cat, you know they will literally pee in your shoes when they’re mad at you. Cat co-workers will sometimes use gossip and veiled insults to do the same thing.
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