Is Competition Hurting Your Team?

We were speeding along the asphalt at over 180 MPH, tires screeching as we entered the final turn. My heart was pounding. I was about to win. Only 1,000 feet to go.

Then it happened.

Bam, screech, crash! I was sideswiped by my seven-year old, sending me careening into the wall as dozens of cars passed by and crossed the white stripe.

EA Sports’ NASCAR 15 brings out the best (and sometimes the worst) in me. The realistic racing experience has brought excitement and laughter to our kids (and Dad) on rainy days and late nights. The first problem with the aforementioned crash is that I’m fairly competitive.

So is my son.

Problem #2- we were on the same team! Instead of a 1-2 finish, he placed first, and I placed 38th. The result was a combined score much lower than it should have been. He knew we were on the same team, but he simply had to win. His competitive spirit hurt our team.

Competitive spirit can hurt your team too.  There are many more NASCAR analogies I could insert here regarding drafting, getting loose and when to pit, but that’s another blog on another day. For now, let’s take a look at healthy vs unhealthy competition. Do any of these examples seem familiar?

Healthy Competition

• Setting team goals that create accelerated success
• Constantly learning and innovating to stay relevant and agile in your industry
• Challenging your peers to be on time (and to put the phone down during meetings)
• Competing against yourself for better physical fitness
• Pushing your spouse, children or friends to be the very best that they can be

Unhealthy Competition

• Jockeying for the “best” assignments from your manager
• Scrambling like a vulture to make the sale, because you believe there isn’t enough business to go around
• Communicating the amount of your bonus, wages, or performance review scores with anyone other than your spouse
• Telling the “better story” for the sake of making someone else look bad (eg- I’m sure the mole I had removed was twice the size of yours.)

It’s easy to identify negative competition, but making the shift toward healthy competition is both difficult and necessary. This responsibility falls to the manager and team members alike. Think about the teams you are part of at church, at work or at home. Is competition hurting your team? Or even worse, causing losses? If so, take time to strategize healthy competition alternatives to advance your team forward toward a win.

But be aware, when practicing good competition habits, the temptation exists to only  accept first place. Managers, coaches and parents who demand only “wins” are still creating unhealthy internal competition that will ultimately result in poor performance. While their intent is to encourage the team via healthy competition, the added stress can actually result in increased mistakes and missteps.

Just as in auto racing, giving your teammate a little nudge forward for the betterment of the team is one thing, but smacking them from the side to get an edge is completely different, and #fromwhereIsit- completely unacceptable. The team manager is responsible for keeping this competition in check, pushing instead for healthy competition and overall team success.

In case you’re wondering, I asked my son for a rematch. In the race that followed, we had a 1-2 finish. I won’t share who came in first. After all, we’re a team.

Question: Are you part of a team that could use some healthy competition? Have you engaged in unhealthy competition and what were the results? Comment below and help others to grow.

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Is Competition Hurting Your Team? first appeared on From Where I Sit.