Are you the go to person in your office? There always seems to be someone in the office who is the go to person. No matter what the question, problem or task this person seems to be able to come up with a workable solution. Although valued for their knowledge and skills, they usually do not reap any reward for their efforts. Often they sit and watch others get the recognition for their ideas and hard work.

In most cases the go to person has a lot of experience at their job, so when a problem arises, they have been there and done that and know the answer. So to them it is not a big deal to come up with a workable solution. They fail to see the crisis, and the importance of coming up with a solution. To them it is just like the last time a similar situation arose. So instead of ensuring that they are credited with their ideas and solutions, they hand it over without any thought of recognition.

Management loves the go person. It is their gene in the bottle who is always at their beckon call to work their magic with no expectation of reward. When a problem or out of the ordinary task appears, the go to person is there to make them look good. However instead of rewarding the go to person management usually hides them away from the limelight so that no one will discover the wealth of knowledge they have.

I worked with an engineer who had cutting edge knowledge of several satellite and communication systems. Over the years he proved to be very valuable in developing solutions to regulatory issues that arose concerning those systems. However, instead of being rewarded for his knowledge he found himself at odds with management. When he became aware of a problem or had a suggestion for a solution, he would not discuss it with management first to ensure that they understood and agreed with his observations. Instead he would give his opinion at open meetings. Although usually technically correct, he was unaware of the political and regulatory issues involved, and often would put management in an embarrassing position. So even though he was the go to person for information in many special high profile cases, the credit for his work went to someone else.

Getting credit and recognition for your knowledge and work is important, but just as important is how you go about it. First you must be able to judge which issues are important and significant enough to deserve credit and recognition. In those instances do not be too willing to just hand over the information. Take some time to think it through, and listen to what others have to say. When developing a response to a question incorporate enough information to establish your credibility, but do not include all the details, in the first go around. This ensures that you will not be cut out of the process. When possible generate e-mails or written material containing your contribution so there is hard evidence of your involvement. If your work is used in official documents use footnotes that reference your work or papers you wrote on the topic. Lastly talk with your boss an others involved in the process to ensure they are aware of your continuing contributions, and willingness to be a team player.

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