In my career as a developer, one experience stands out as a harsh lesson in trust, integrity, and the importance of protecting your intellectual property. I was working on an application designed to sell insurance to farmers-a complex system that required meticulous coding and rigorous testing. Every week, my manager would take my code and present it during our system checks with management. On the surface, it seemed routine enough, but I soon realized he was presenting my work as his own.
This manager had an unnerving habit of creeping up behind my chair, standing so close that I could feel his presence before I saw him. What he didn’t realize was that I could see his reflection in my screen. I hate it when people sneak up on me, so I would suddenly push my chair back to get up. More than once, I accidentally hit him in a place where no man wants to be hit. Each time, I would say, “What are you doing behind me? Don’t creep up on me like that. What can I help you with?” My directness eventually put an end to his lurking, but the real issue was far more insidious.
I started to notice discrepancies between the code I handed over and what was being presented in meetings. It became clear that my manager was altering my work and claiming it as his own. From that moment on, I made copies of my code before giving it to him.
One day, I was summoned to the management meeting and asked why my code was malfunctioning. I knew immediately that he had tampered with it again. Staying calm, I said, “Let me fetch my laptop.” I presented my original code, fully functional and meticulously tested. Then, in front of the entire team, I turned to him and politely requested that he not modify my code in the future. I explained, “I am a perfectionist in what I do, and I test my code in more ways than one to ensure it works.” He never changed my work again after that day.
This experience taught me a valuable lesson about intellectual property and the damage caused when people take credit for others’ work. In any professional environment, the integrity of your work is tied to your reputation. When someone else claims ownership of your intellectual property, it not only undermines your efforts but also diminishes the trust within the team.
Intellectual property isn’t just about legal rights-it’s about respecting the effort, creativity, and expertise that go into producing quality work. When a manager changes your work and presents it as their own, they not only steal your ideas but also jeopardize the quality and integrity of the final product.
The repercussions of taking credit for someone else’s work extend far beyond a bruised ego. It creates a culture of distrust, resentment, and low morale. Once I realized what was happening, my respect for that manager evaporated. I could no longer trust him, and our working relationship became purely transactional. I did my job, but any sense of loyalty or willingness to go the extra mile was gone.
Moreover, when leaders engage in intellectual theft, they risk their credibility. Word gets around. Other team members eventually become aware of what’s happening, and it diminishes the manager’s authority. Respect in the workplace is earned through honesty, transparency, and acknowledgment of each team member’s contributions. Without that, a leader is just a title with no influence.
This experience taught me several key lessons:
1. Document Everything: Always keep copies of your work. It serves as a safeguard against manipulation and misrepresentation.
2. Speak Up Assertively: Address issues head-on, but do so with professionalism. Calling out inappropriate behavior in a calm, collected manner maintains your integrity while setting clear boundaries.
3. Build Transparency: When presenting your work, if possible, do it yourself. This reduces the chances of your efforts being misrepresented.
4. Know Your Worth: Don’t allow anyone to undermine your expertise or diminish your contributions. Confidence in your abilities is your best defense against workplace manipulation.
This experience with my manager taught me that true leadership is about empowering others, not stealing their spotlight. A good leader recognizes and celebrates the achievements of their team, understanding that shared success is far more valuable than individual glory.
For anyone who’s been in a similar situation, remember: your work is your intellectual property, and your voice deserves to be heard. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. And for managers reading this-know that respect is earned through integrity, not by claiming credit for work you didn’t do.
In the end, my code spoke for itself, and I walked out of that meeting with my head held high. I protected my work, my reputation, and most importantly, my integrity. And that, to me, is the true definition of success.