Ask HN: In a company, how do you deal with people who appropriates your ideas? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: In a company, how do you deal with people who appropriates your ideas?

1 pointkairensoze3 comments

I work as a software architect in a Fortune 500 company. According to some people I know from the outside, I'm introverted and "too modest" . There are 80 developers and 6 software architects.

I usually find some really nice technologies and ways to improve our system and most of the time, things work as I expected. Plus, whenever there is a bug nobody knows how to deal with, I'm the one they call.

The thing is there are some architects who sometimes challenge my ideas and even refute them. I'm Ok with that. But the worst and that's what makes me sick is that when I'm spot on, those same architects who refute my ideas, copy/paste my solutions and even sometimes evangelise them to other It departments in my company.

Question : how do you deal with people appropriating your ideas in a company (especially after they publicly criticised them ) ? (PS: I'm not saying "I'm the best" and "they are all wrong". I'm just describing what sometimes happens).

> whenever there is a bug nobody knows how to deal with, I'm the one they call.

Sounds like you already have some recognition and respect.

Why are you not the one evangelizing your ideas? It's not enough to have good ideas. You need to execute on them, you need people to understand why it's a good idea.

If one of these architects refutes or criticizes your idea, why don't you show case it? Why don't you build a prototype? You can then show that to everyone and make sure the origin of the idea is clear.

Also, talk about this to your manager. They should be able to help with making sure you get recognition for your ideas if it's important to you.

You are learning a valuable and important lesson, which is that ideas aren't worth anything unless you do something with them.

You have an idea. Great. So does everyone else. Can you build consensus? Can you implement them or get them implemented? Can you get buy in from others? No? Then nobody cares.

roll with it.

the best ideas come from improvements. both the idea and the improvement have to be there.

it is a complement for others to parrot your ideas.

also remember, technical skills are only part of the picture; others may be demonstrating to you the political part of working in an organization.

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