Copy this: When others steal your ideas

Worried because others steal your ideas? Read on to find out why you shouldn’t be.

Picasso said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal” and Steve Jobs echoed the same sentiment when he said “We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”

In the corporate world nothing is more heavily guarded than ideas. Whether it is at the workplace or at home — women often complain that either their ideas are undervalued or snapped up by others of both genders.

Men may appropriate credit for your ideas because they may think that you, as a woman, are there simply to serve them and must be immediately subdued and conquered. Other women do it because they think this may be a short cut to the top of the ladder.

Behind this is the competitive nature of both sexes at the workplace. If they could, they would patent, copyright and only give exclusive rights to their thoughts.

Recently a friend of mine went on a rant because her idea was seized by the loudest speaker in the boardroom, who actually said the same thing she did — just in different words.

She agonised over this episode until she took a pen and actually started crossing out reasons why the bullhorn was successful and she was not.

A few rounds later there was still no closure.

If you can relate to her, consider my three reasons why you should stop worrying about people stealing your ideas before you start whining to your boss: 

1. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. (Tyler Durden — Fight Club)

Who you are is a result of your experiences, exposure and interactions. Your work experience ensures that you already have a fair idea of what works and how. You may be a star performer but, let’s face it, not all ideas are earth-shattering, groundbreaking and one-of-a-kind.

Someone somewhere has probably done it already so be realistic in evaluating whether your ideas should carry a price tag.

If you’re seen as somebody stingy with their ideas, you’re closer to a one-trick pony who has to protect its flair lest it gets copied by others. Be gracious and share freely so you can grow with the people around you.

2. Doing nothing is very hard to do ... you never know when you’re finished. (Leslie Nielson)

If you’re under the impression that your ideas are gems, and you decide to give only limited access to others, you lose an opportunity to test them. Not all your ideas will work.

If you keep waiting for the right opportunity or wait until the master plan is ready, you lose out on the opportunity to test their viability early.

If the idea fails, you won’t be the one to blame and with confidence you can scratch that gem off your list. The more you share the more it helps you develop ideas into plans and eventually actions.

If, during this process, they get picked up or ‘stolen’, take it on the chin and know that there is more where that one came from and only you have access to this unlimited reserve.

3. The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work. (Robert Frost)

Whether or not you get the credit and recognition for your ideas, you should always look at the fact that it was taken up as a backhanded compliment.

If it hadn’t been good enough in the first place it would never have been picked up. The thief’s stealing will soon run him/her into problems, either when the expectation is to whip up more ideas or during execution.

Remember, you can only be valuable if your ideas are supported by an implementation strategy; otherwise they are nothing more than dreams.

Word to the wise

I have yet to come across a job that does not require varying degrees of creativity and innovation. Basically, we all get paid for the skills and ideas we bring to the workplace.

Organisations and people cannot be successful if the battle revolves around who gets noticed and recognised for putting the best ideas on the table.

In your career, you will meet many who can talk on end of time but you should aim to be one of those who know when to take action.

Then, even if the ideas get hijacked midway, you will have differentiated yourself in the way you do things.

If you are in a situation where you feel that your ideas always get stolen perhaps it’s time to reflect on how effectively you communicate and your visibility in the organisation.

Madiha Khalid is a serious HR professional who test-drives all employee motivational strategies on her two-year-old son first. Read more from Madiha Khalid on Facebook.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, September 30^th, 2012.

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