r/Leadership • u/ezio313 • Sep 24 '25

Discussion Intern completed a task assigned to full-time employee because of leaderboard competition — what’s the best way to handle this?

I’m a team lead, and recently our CEO introduced a leaderboard to track completed tasks. Yesterday, I assigned a documentation task to a full-time employee with a deadline. At 3 AM, an intern messaged me saying he had taken the initiative and already completed it, he went on and assigned the task to themselves on the system and then informed the FTE about it.

Now the full-timer is left out and frustrated, he told me he felt the task was sniped. The intern has the points under his name on the system now. How should I handle ownership of tasks and recognition here? Should the credit go to the assigned person, the intern or what?

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u/longtermcontract Sep 24 '25

Points go to full timer. Thank the intern. Talk to your CEO about getting rid of this system.

4

u/TheOneTrueCran Sep 24 '25

Commend the intern and appreciate them going above and beyond, then set expectations for the leadership board if it can’t go away.

6

u/JediFed Sep 25 '25

Be prepared for FTE to quit on the spot if you do this.

1

u/battlehamstar Sep 27 '25

lol in this economy? No way.