In a Robert Half survey, nearly half of the more than 1,000 senior managers interviewed said they believe workers are more competitive with each other today than they were a decade ago.
It's understandable, considering the job insecurity many workers have
experienced in recent years. Internal rivalries are apt to arise when
employees feel pressure to prove their worth. Competing with colleagues
can be healthy and spur stronger individual performance. But it can also
lead to problems if gamesmanship goes too far.
Following are some signs that the level of competition within your workplace has become more corrosive than beneficial:
- You are overly protective of your ideas because you're scared they'll be stolen.
- You've caught yourself resorting to unseemly tactics -- gossiping, hogging the spotlight, withholding information -- to gain an advantage over your colleagues.
- Rather than being motivated by the accomplishments of others, you feel threatened by and resentful of their success.
- You hesitate to take time off, because you worry a co-worker may temporarily step into your job and do it better.
- You don't ask for advice or a helping hand out of fear that you'll be perceived as inept.
If those examples sound familiar, here are four ways to maintain your competitive edge in a healthier fashion:
1. Strive for personal bests. It's good to take note
of the habits of your office's star employees so you can imitate those
behaviors. But it can be dangerous to measure your goals solely against
the performance of others. As track and field participants often say,
run your own race. Be self-motivated, and continually challenge yourself
to improve.
2. Stop shielding your turf. Being passionate about
your job and taking ownership of your projects are positive qualities,
but there is such a thing as being too protective of your work. Don't be
so territorial that you isolate yourself from fellow team members. Be
generous and share your knowledge.
Likewise, be willing to ask for feedback and assistance. A co-worker
with a fresh pair of eyes or different point of view might help you
identify a solution you hadn't considered.
3. Find a mentor. Working one-on-one with a more
experienced professional offers many benefits. A mentor can help you
stretch your skills while also helping you understand the nuances of
organizational politics. Hearing firsthand how others have dealt with
difficult teammates or sensitive situations can be invaluable.
4. Monitor your motives. It's all too easy for
friendly competition to take a toxic turn. It's one thing if you and a
co-worker push each other to raise your respective games. But if you're
becoming more interested in outshining a colleague than helping your
company or department reach its objectives, it's time to take a step
back and look at the bigger picture. Rivalries help no one when they
turn rancorous. Remember: You're all on the same team.
You can use competition to fuel your fire, but it's tricky. As
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Competition has been shown
to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation,
which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition
leaves off."