Stealing ideas is never acceptable collegial behaviour, but constant praise-seeking is not good team etiquette either. All great office-based ideas generally arise when a functional team collaborates successfully, throwing ideas around to each other, discussing and finessing together before presenting the finished proposal at a more senior level.

In all groups, there’s a mix of personality types, with some being more assertive than others. I have worked in many different companies and learned that it’s often the same people who speak up at meetings or volunteer to give presentations. This personality type is usually an extrovert who enjoys being the centre of attention. They often have natural sales ability and give an audience exactly what they want to hear. Then you have the rest of the team who run a mile from presenting because they’re more introverted by nature. Could you be mistaking your colleague’s ideas-theft for simply having ballsy behaviour that others lack? The fact that the extrovert types are talented communicators with a bit of bravado doesn’t make them evil. But they do need to learn how to credit others.

You also should pause to consider the hierarchy of your team. Is this “vulture” by any chance the more senior and experienced among you? If so, then perhaps s/he assumed the role of team leader and has taken it for granted that it’s their job to lead your ideas to the next level.

Honest Boss: “How do I tell my vulture colleague to stop stealing my ideas at work?”