Competition in the Workplace

 
Human nature is to become the best at what ever you do. Employee recognition is something that is very important as it bring opportunity to our plates. So naturally there’s going to be some sporting business competition between rivals. But have you ever noticed how some people feel the need to make others look bad in order to make themselves shine?
 
Competition is a healthy aspect of life and is what helps us to strive for greatness, but shoule it be done at the expense of others? Do you think it’s right to bring other people down in order to bring yourself up?
 

Competition by Trampling on Others

Sometimes there are feelings of anger, frustration and paranoia that may be associated with competition. How does the competition make you feel, and should it really be a competition at all?

 

Striving to do better at what ever you do in life is simply a natural occurrence. If you’re not attempting to do better, then you’re just spinning your wheels.

 

Paranoia is often times associated with competition between others simply because it is what it is. What I mean by that is, and let’s take a work environment for example, if there are two of you doing the same job and you both have the exact same authority at work, then you want to prove to be the better employee right?

 

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of expectation. But here’s where, in my opinion, the bad competition at work comes in. If you have to make your co-worker look bad or bring attention to their faults in order to make yourself “appear” as the better employee, then you’re going about it all the wrong way.

 

Competition by Playing Boss

If you’re the kind of person that will turn to others within your area and tell them, “Oh be sure to pass everything through me first, and I’ll delegate it to my co-worker.” There’s a couple of things wrong with this, #1 if both you and your co-worker are on a level playing field, meaning you both have the same level of authority and neither of you are the boss of the other, then asking this is not proper.

 

This is especially true if the ones you’re asking to give you all the work assignments do not know any better. To them it makes it appear that you have more authority than your co-worker, when in reality you are both the same. This kind of “scam” to make yourself appear higher on the totem pole, will do nothing more than increase annimosity between you and your co-worker.

 

Someone that plays games like this is only doing it for self gratification. Their self esteem must be so extremely low that they need to creat imaginary scenarios in order to lift their own spirits. Now this is not only sleezy, but pathetic as far as I’m concerned.

 

Are you the kind of person that will jump off a 50 million mile tall building just to get to answer a question or help solve a problem before your co-worker does? Is it that important to you to take control so you appear to be someone special at the expense of trampling your co-workers? If you are, then that’s a very sad existance you are leading.

 

How to Better Build Self-confidence and Become a more Valued Employee

Now after all this pitiful discussion of scenarios concerning a sad sacked individual with no self-esteem and no trust in their ability to accomplish anything without playing dirty, you’re probably wondering, then how should I perform?

 

This is more simple of an answer than you might think. Don’t spend your days at work grunting and groaning about how you hate to work with certain people. Or spend every waking moment trying to out perform someone else.

 

The best thing you can do is to perform the best you can. And do this in a manner that is both beneficial to yourself, your employer and your co-workers.

 

If you aren’t able to stand on your own to feet and impress the people that will make or break your career advancement, then you’ll never make it in the position you so desire anyway. If you can spend as much time and energy perfecting and honing your skills as you spend trying to make yourself look better than everyone else then you’ll have it made.

 

There is a very thin grey line between self-improvement and competition at the expense of others. The thing you have to remember is, always perform as expected, answer questions and solve problems that are directed at you! And do the absolute best you can do.

 

If you do these few simple things, I promise your employer will discover you for who and what you are. No body likes a know it all, especially your employer. From their point of view, if they’re receiving reports of you shafting people over and having an abusive attitude, then what’s to prevent them from thinking it would continue into a new position or promotion.

 
It’s important to implement a “team” environment at work and make decisions based on what’s going to increase productivity and profits for the business owner. It’s so easy to shine when you’ve made everyone else look bad. But let me tell you, the ones that are truly hard working and are goal oriented will shine brighter and you will find yourself left in the dust.
 
And always remember, if someone at work is talking to you and is trashing someone else, don’t think you’re exempt. Because 99% of the time if they’re talking trash about someone else to you, then they’re talking trash about you to someone else.
 
Here’s to being the best we can be, at the expense of no one!
 

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