Viewing Your Colleagues as Competition?
Summary
- When you anticipate something negative, it can cause you to behave in ways that make it more likely to happen.
- Introducing someone with similar skills to your team can feel threatening, prompting competitive behavior.
- Treating a new team member poorly because you feel threatened can lead to negative perceptions by your boss.
- Your reaction to competition may inadvertently demonstrate qualities that are not desirable for promotion or advancement.
- Maintaining a cooperative and positive demeanor is crucial, especially when new competitors are introduced into your work environment.
- Focus on controlling your response to perceived threats to prevent creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest first taking a moment to reflect when feeling threatened or competitive. Remember, acting out of fear can lead to the very outcomes you're trying to avoid. So, stay calm and don't let worries dictate how you behave with newcomers on your team. Here's what you should do:
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Reflect on Feelings: As soon as you notice someone with similar skills joins your team, take a step back. Understand these feelings of competition are natural, but they shouldn't control your actions.
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Practice Kindness: Make an effort to welcome the new team member. Help them get settled. Your boss will notice your leadership and cooperative spirit.
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Focus on Your Strengths: Instead of worrying, concentrate on doing your job well. Focus on your unique qualities that make you a great asset to the team.
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Seek Feedback: Ask your boss or mentor how you can improve or grow. This shows you're focused on self-improvement, not just on competition.
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Collaborate: Look for ways to work with the new person. Collaboration can lead to better results than competition.
By taking these low-cost, easy-to-implement steps, you not only avoid creating the negative situation you feared but also potentially set yourself up for greater success and growth. Remember, your reaction can shape your reality. Keep it positive and cooperative!
Quotes by Leila Hormozi
"When someone thinks something bad's going to happen, they start acting in a way that makes it more likely for the bad thing to happen"
– Leila Hormozi
"You're like, wait, that person's just as good as me, they could get the next job too, and so then you start being competitive with them"
– Leila Hormozi
"Then maybe you start kind of being mean to them, not because of who they are, but because you're threatened by them"
– Leila Hormozi
"Your boss eventually sees it, and you and that person were just both good candidates for that role"
– Leila Hormozi
"Sally sealed her own fate by acting as if the bad thing were going to happen"
– Leila Hormozi
Full Transcript
when someone thinks something bad's going to happen they start acting in a way that makes it more likely for the bad thing to happen say you bring in somebody else to a team who has a similar skill set now you look at them as competition you're like wait that person's just as good as me they could get the next job too and so then you start being competitive with them right and then maybe you start kind of being mean to them not because of who they are but because you're threatened by them your boss eventually sees it and you and that person were just both good candidates for that role and because you were so stressed that you allowed it to dictate your behavior of how you treated that other person now your boss is looking at you and thinking you know what I I thought Sally would be qualified for that role but you know this new guy George we brought in I mean he's just way easier to get along with Sally's acting so competitive Sally sealed her own Fate by acting as if the bad thing were going to happen
