By: Natasha Archary
Being in a competitive workplace environment is a double-edged sword. While it can provide a space for continual growth, it can often mean constant pressure to one up your co-workers, creating a stressful and unpleasant workspace.
This can be particularly true for high pressure environments, or those that require a sales benchmark and targets.
Competition is unavoidable, unless your profession is extremely niche and there aren’t many people who can fill your role.
In the predominantly male dominated corporate space, most women see it as an advantage to be pitted up against their male counterparts.
Women are no longer looking at their gender as a weakness, but rather use their feminine strengths to differentiate their role in the workplace.
To one of the listener’s points, it is human nature to be competitive, because it gives one something to measure their achievements against.
Competition can also spur on innovation within a team environment but there are a number of downsides to an overly competitive workplace.
This includes:
- Discouraging the rest of the team
- Setting unreasonable expectations
- Resentment
- Stress
- Defensive behaviour
- Secretiveness in the workplace
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959 with Glen Lewis:
More from the Drive 959
Also read: Do you own one of these 4 high risk cars?
