What if my manager already praised me for it?

Tell your manager directly. Letting the wrong belief stand is the actual offense.

What if it was genuinely joint work?

Then say who did which part. Specificity is the apology.

Will correcting it make me look worse?

Short term, mildly. Long term it's the single cheapest reputation purchase available.

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Tier 4: Total Clusterfuck

What do you do if you accidentally took credit for a coworker's work?

The short answer

Correct it in the same room where the credit was taken. A private apology to the person is necessary but not sufficient — the audience that heard the wrong attribution needs to hear the right one. Do it fast, do it without hedging, and do not make the correction about how bad you feel.

What's actually at stake

01Private-only apologies leave the reputational benefit sitting with you, which is why they don't land.
02The coworker's real loss is visibility, so visibility is the only currency that repays it.
03Delay converts an oversight into a pattern in everyone's memory.

Do

· Tell the person directly before you correct it publicly.
· Name their specific contribution, not a vague 'team effort'.
· Correct it in the same channel or meeting where it happened.

Don't

· Do not wait for a natural opening.
· Do not make them ask for the correction.
· Do not use 'we' as a way to blur it.

A draft you can send now

Correction on my earlier update: the [analysis/design/fix] I walked through was [Name]'s work, not mine. I should have said that clearly the first time. Credit where it's due.

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Questions people actually ask

What if my manager already praised me for it?: Tell your manager directly. Letting the wrong belief stand is the actual offense.
What if it was genuinely joint work?: Then say who did which part. Specificity is the apology.
Will correcting it make me look worse?: Short term, mildly. Long term it's the single cheapest reputation purchase available.

Take it further

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Grade what you already sent →

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Spar with a skeptical manager, exec, or client before the real one.

Tier 4: Total Clusterfuck explained →

Money, customers, or a very senior person's calendar is involved.

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