Stop a Coworker Taking Credit for Your Work: Here’s What You Should Do

In her book “The Choice: Embrace the Possible”, famous psychologist Edith Eger says —

• To be passive is to let others decide for you
• To be aggressive is to decide for others
• To be assertive is to decide for yourself
• To trust that there is enough and that you are enough

Now, with this in mind, one can certainly gather that to be absurd if it’s the optimal way to carry themselves through life. To understand and to trust yourself enough to speak your mind, just stick to your values, and to be an ally to causes and people who’ve been silenced in the past. But the reality is, apart from the system shutting us up, we ourselves managed to do that all on our own.

It’s so easy to avoid publishing something that we’ve created or to hide behind a pseudonym — it’s more comfortable to stay quiet when we don’t get credited for our work and even to avoid taking credit because it can open you up to scrutiny. Hiding and choosing not to expose ourselves and our work is essentially an evolutionary defense mechanism and it works as designed to protect us from danger. The problem is, though, what our brain perceives as dangerous is often entirely harmless — it’s the fear of scrutiny that stops a person from taking credit, and that fear is what triggers a stress response.

But look, you and I both know that even the harshest criticism isn’t life-threatening. So, what would it look like if we actually had the courage to own it and to put our signature on our achievements? Well, here’s a story to show you a glimpse of this very thing a long time ago in the 15th century.

The Story of Jan van Eyck

Information about the artist known as Jan van Eyck is lost to the mists of time. Not much is known about him. However, what is known is he came from Flanders, which is now a part of modern-day Belgium. His first mention is in 1422 when he was working in The Hague as a court painter for the counter pollen. Three years later, in 1425, Jan van Eyck occupied the dignity of court painter and the valet at the court of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy who valued him dearly. Sending him on diplomatic missions and even baptizing his children, granting the painter's wife financial aid after his step. He even reprimanded those who hadn’t paid van Eyck’s salary on time.

Now, by far van Eyck’s most famous painting is the one created in 1434, the portrait of the Arnold Feeney spouses.

Besides creating a universe of apparent triviality describing a couple of spouses, the painting contains an important Easter egg. Right around the corner of the image, on the back wall of the room, there is an inscription in Latin that says —

“Jan van Eyck was here in 1434.”

In order to get something that no one else had ever gotten, he had to do something that no one else had ever done. Then Eyck took credit. It is one of the first signatures in history left by an artist. Up until that time, it was inconceivable for a painter to drag the spotlight on themselves in this manner. On the contrary, artists created without ever signing their work exclusively for the magnification and glorification of God, and that is what makes this painting so historically important.

Suddenly, instead of Saints, the painting shows a man and a woman with their dog, shadows three-dimensionality, and what is more fascinating is a signature was added. This painting wasn’t only new, it was revolutionary.

Practical Takeaways

So, the lesson here?

If you think you did something extraordinary, let the world see it readers! Don’t hide behind the veil of anonymity or the fear that it might not be well appreciated by those seeing it — it is your creation and you believe in its value. Be proud of your work, gain an identity for yourself, and help pave the way for the future generations that will follow in your footsteps.

As described by author Hal Elrod —

“Success is a process!”

As long as you are sincerely giving your best effort more often than not, you’re already successful and deserved to feel proud of yourself.

Jan van Eyck received the title of “King of Painters” after his death in 1441. Quite late, right? But he was just one of The Pioneers. Nowadays, getting recognition for your work and its impact happens way faster. You might even come to realize that you want to make a life out of creating. With changes in technology and our world happening more rapidly every year, the ideas and inspiration that can be extracted to create the future are endless.

Jan van Eyck is so important in art because he resets the president. He flipped the script and gave energy to other artists to claim their work as well, to show his colleagues and the world that artists are important and deserve recognition. Throughout his career, Jan van Eyck emphasized the importance of his signatures. Some artists’ paintings even contain the inscription — “Jan van Eyck made me”. He believed in himself so much, in his importance as an artist, in his presence on Earth.

So, readers, go get what’s yours. Let the whole world know who you are. Let them know your name.

Jan van Eyck stories about someone going against outdated social norms to say — “I made this. I deserve respect.” He did not let his talent go nameless and lost to time. He had original ideas. He wanted the world to know about them. He set his goals and worked and worked and worked until he eventually made it. And thanks to him, so did other talented painters in history up until today. Today, we encourage you to take away this mentality from Jan van Eyck confidently. Take credit for your work. You are important. Your work matters. So, proudly share it with the world.

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