I corrected my coworker in the middle of a meeting: too much?
Editors' DilemmaOctober 28, 2026· Be the first to vote
A story made up by our editors to get the debate going, not a real account.
My side
For weeks, I built an order-tracking spreadsheet for the whole team. Three evenings, formulas everywhere, cells that turn red when a client is running late. I was pretty proud of it. In a meeting, my coworker shares his screen and presents “his little tool.” He even adds: “I came up with it when I saw how much time we were wasting.” My boss loves it. I smile, then raise my hand: “Quick clarification: I’m the one who built it, but I’m glad it’s useful.” Calm voice, no score-settling. An awkward silence, then the meeting moved on. Since then, my coworker won’t even say hi to me.
Their side
According to him, I humiliated him in front of the boss over a detail. He says he was going to credit me at the end of his presentation and I didn’t give him the chance. He also points out that he’s the one who flagged the delay problem months ago, so the idea is partly his. For him, I should have pulled him aside after the meeting instead of correcting him in public.
So, who's wrong?
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