The Workplace: How to Leverage the Power of Healthy Competition

The thought of workplace competition might seem intimidating to many employees. But healthy competition can stimulate the body and mind and inspire greater success in individuals.   

Working remotely has displaced many employees used to working in busy offices. For executive and personal assistants, it has been challenging. Many have felt they are no longer 'in charge' of their domain because roles have diffused with distance. The situation has left them wondering - What value can I continue to provide my organisation?  

We may not even think 'competition in the workplace' has any bearing in these changing dynamics. But this is far from the case. In this post-pandemic reality, competition still abounds, and organisations are more than ready to leverage competitive talent. The leadership mindset is that competition sparks employees' excitement and encourages them to invest more effort to achieve desired results. The result is unparalleled productivity and greater innovation at the workplace.

But we need to reframe the narrative of competition from one that elicits negative connotations to one that inspires you to be the best you can be. And once you do, it can become powerful leverage to your overall growth and professional development.

Your competition quotient can be measured by how well you collaborate, communicate, provide innovative solutions and take ownership to spearhead outcomes. This competition quotient is especially relevant considering how we're now expected to contribute to the workplace - from our home offices and geographically dispersed, working across cultures and wrangling those we can't readily access in the same way we used to.

Employers are more attuned to the challenges the new workplace present their workers. However, as competition continues to be a key driver for productivity and success, there is a solid case to be made. This case speaks to adopting a new perspective that sees healthy competition as an invaluable opportunity to bring out the best in us as professionals. And how do we do that? By remembering that we can't get too comfortable with our comfort zone.

As a new employee, the desire to integrate quickly into the workplace and understand the ins and outs of your managers day-to-day are drivers that awaken your competitive spirit. To know more, to do more and have more responsibility to prove your skills requires the ability to align with colleagues that may misinterpret your enthusiasm for ambition - the wrong kind! And this is where developing your competitive quotient is critical. How well you communicate and collaborate inclusively is vital to ensuring that 'ambitious' is a positive and admirable quality that others see.

 As you progress in your career and evolve your job function into a more strategic role, the need to improve on your best must stay top of mind. At this career phase, healthy competition can push you even further from your comfort zone to motivate you to excel through innovation. 

The executive support industry is in the midst of an evolution. Today, what it means to be an executive, personal or administrative assistant is changing dramatically. We must be innovative to stay ahead of the change and, more importantly, to have a say in how the roles will evolve and its professionals valued.  

With the right mindset, competition creates an environment where building strong professional relationships is possible and essential. Nurturing these relationships through knowledge exchange creates more collaborative dynamics even at a distance.  

Mutual learning and extending help develops respect, trust and a foundation for stronger work relationships. As a result, communication, collaboration and conflict resolution become easier.

Competition Helps Build a Positive Mindset

Competition that engenders fear often causes people to become negative or use unethical winning measures such as sabotaging a colleague's work. When competing from a place of excitement, you are more likely to use creative and ethical means to showcase your superior talents and value.

Bring talent, strengths and skills you already possess to your work. When you work from a place of confidence, your chances of success increase. 

Competition Drives Innovation

Competition need not always be about outshining others or feeling intimidated. Workplaces that are industry-specific, such as technology companies and product-intensive organisations, often view competition as a positive force that drives innovation and remarkable transformation.

For executive support, it's essential to focus on the value derived from competitive environments, not just the results. Results may not always be as expected. But the benefits derived in the process may be more invaluable. 

Competition is inevitable at workplaces. How you compete and evolve from the experience matters.

Healthy workplace competition can help you grow personally and professionally. How you deal with competition is a critical leadership quality that you can learn from handling workplace competition positively.