19 hours ago

296: Someone Stole Credit for Your Team's Work. Here's How to Handle It

A listener wrote in with a situation that plays out constantly at the senior leadership level. A new vice president asked for their team's process documentation, then presented all of it in a board meeting as his own first big win. The C-suite praised him. The listener was left defensive, frustrated, and unsure what to do next.

Sean Barnes has lived this one. In this solo episode he walks through the exact same thing happening to him years ago, including the part most leaders skip: he did not handle it well. He went quiet, held onto the resentment, and let unspoken tension sit in senior leadership meetings for a long stretch before he finally addressed it.

The episode lays out a practical approach. Verify what actually happened before you react, because omitting credit and stealing credit are different problems. Never address it in a group setting, because the rest of the executive team will not judge what the other person did, they will judge how you responded. Go to their office, ask one specific question, and then stop talking. And once the conversation is over, offer to help them be successful anyway.

It is a candid look at executive politics from someone who learned it the hard way. As Sean puts it, you can call the politics dumb and stay stuck, or you can learn how to navigate them.

Key Moments

00:00 - Why someone takes credit for your work in the first place

00:37 - The listener message: a new VP asks for the team's process documentation

01:33 - He presents it at the board meeting as his own project

01:45 - The C-suite praises him, and the listener is left furious

02:11 - Sean has been here before, and he admits he handled it badly

02:46 - The cost of holding onto it: unspoken tension in leadership meetings

03:12 - Step one, verify whether credit was stolen or simply omitted

03:48 - Why you never address this in a public or group setting

04:16 - Go to their office, not yours

04:47 - The exact question to ask, and why you pause after it

05:13 - Do not throw them a lifeline when it gets awkward

06:10 - The follow up question about trust and rapport

07:25 - Putting them on notice, then offering to help them succeed

08:37 - Keep an eye on them, because capacity does not disappear

09:04 - What holding a grudge actually cost Sean

10:17 - The politics are the politics

Key Takeaways

Verify before you react.

Stealing credit and omitting credit are not the same thing, and the difference shapes how the conversation should go. Figuring out which one happened is the first move, not an afterthought.

The room is watching your response, not their behavior.

The rest of the executive team is not going to care what this person did. They will care about how you handled it. That single reframe is what should keep you out of a public confrontation and in a one on one conversation.

Put them on notice, then offer to help.

The pairing is the whole point. You make it clear your team will not be walked over, and then you ask how you can help them succeed. It disarms them, it often builds real trust, and it keeps you working closely enough to see what they do next.

Podcast Show Notes – Episode 296 | 08.25.2026

Episode Title: Someone Stole Credit for Your Team's Work. Here's How to Handle It

Host: Sean Barnes

Wolf Executives, Houston, TX

Website:
https://www.wolfexecutives.com

https://www.seanbarnes.com

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbarnes/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfexecutives

https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewayofthewolf/

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