Great things don't come easy. This statement sits true for all aspects of life, be it your personal relationships or professional growth. You'll do great only if you put in extra effort and the extra time and are willing to go out of the way to get things done.
When we talk about achieving success at work, success won't come knocking at your workstation. You'll have to strive for it.
Back in the day, most people worked around a robotic schedule. They came to work, worked on the tasks listed, finished their work, and left for home. There was no spark in their work lives. But that's not something you'll observe today. Individuals today are eager to learn new things and grow professionally. They don't sit around waiting for success to come to them but they chase success till they finally catch it!
The desire in young professionals to grow and stand out has electrified the workplace environment, making it highly competitive. Professionals aren't complacent today. Instead, they've set big goals for themselves and they won't stop before they achieve them all.
If you work in a competitive workplace, you'll very well understand that doing only what your job description states isn't enough to stand out and succeed. People in your office are determined to succeed, and if you don't match their pace, morale, and energy, you'll be left far behind.
A competitive workplace is where the workers make their coworkers' performances a standard and compare their performance with these standards. Instead of just getting things done, the charged atmosphere motivates all employees to perform better and stand out from their coworkers.
While a competitive work environment motivates and encourages employees to perform better, it can also stress workers out. You can't expect everyone to have the same energy and determination to succeed, and failure to perform, as well as their colleagues, can have a negative impact on employees' mental health and overall performance.
This is why we've put together a quick guide with tips to help you achieve success in a competitive workplace.
How Does a Competitive Workplace Affect Employees Positively?
Working and succeeding in a competitive workplace isn't easy for everyone. Not everyone can perform well under stress. However, if you know how to manage the stress of a competitive work environment, you're in for numerous positive effects.
There's a reason why employers encourage a competitive working environment. Let's have a look at the many positive effects of a competitive workplace.
Enhanced Employee Motivation
There's a thing called healthy competition, and that's exactly what a competitive workplace encourages. A competitive workplace enhances employee motivation. The workers are automatically motivated to outperform their colleagues.
Enhanced Productivity
Enhanced motivation is followed by enhanced productivity. When employees are determined to outperform their coworkers, they'll work with more determination and focus and deliver better results that'll help them stand out.
Increased Employee Engagement
In a work environment that encourages healthy competition and keeps the morale of employees high, you'll observe that employee engagement is much better. Employees work together in harmony and produce better results because they understand the fact well that they can't get things done alone. It takes teamwork to achieve goals, and that's how they work – in teams!
Improved Quality Work
When you're working in a competitive workplace, getting things off your desk isn't enough to succeed. Your work will speak for you. Knowing that you'll work with utmost focus and determination to ensure there are no problems with the quality of work.
Tips to Achieve Success in a Competitive Workplace
If you're strong, skilled, creative, and resilient, you'll thrive in a competitive workplace. If you're low on self-esteem, can't keep your calm under stress, and lose hope too soon, working in a competitive workplace isn't the best option for you.
Below are some promising tips that will help you succeed in a highly competitive environment.
1. Understand the Culture of Your Workplace
Every workplace is different. Some workplaces encourage employees to work together while others expect employees to work independently, without interfering or intervening in other's jobs. The first and the most important tip for you if you want to succeed in a competitive workplace is to understand the culture of your workplace.
Take your time and see what's the attitude and behavior of employees and management, what they expect from you, and how they expect you to work. Once you understand the culture, you'll be able to mold yourself accordingly. This would ensure you don't offend anyone during the process and don't come out as someone who's over-efficient.
2. Stay Calm and Keep Your Head Straight
It's not easy to keep your nerves calm in an environment where your employer expects you to work more and deliver results quickly. High expectations are one of the most prominent elements of a competitive work environment.
If you want to succeed, the first thing you've got to do is stay calm and keep your head straight. Don't let the work stress and your employer's expectations get better of you. Take breaks when you can and engage in activities that help you relax and unwind. The clearer your head and the calmer you are, the better you'll be able to keep yourself composed and focused on your work.
3. Look Up to Your Mentor
Not all workplaces have a mentoring facility in place, but there's always someone you look up to for advice. It could be a senior, a coworker, or anyone you can trust. It's important to have a mentor when you're working in a competitive workplace.
There will be times when you'll feel overwhelmed and lost, and that's when talking to your mentor will help you get back on the right track. Your mentor can advise you on matters of importance as well.
You can't be a know-it-all. Nobody can be. So it's better not to beat yourself up and simply look up to your mentor for help and assistance when you think you can't do it alone.
4. Stay Organized
One of the biggest reasons why employees panic when working in a competitive workplace is not being organized. Having your stuff everywhere on your desk will only make you more confused and anxious. When you aren't organized at work, you'll misplace things, and not finding what you need in time will only give you major panic attacks.
If your job involves a lot of paperwork, the first thing you should do is clear your table and get a Metal Steel Storage Cabinet. You may want to know what is a metal cabinet and what are metal storage cabinets made of. These are large storage cabinets made using high-quality steel that are big enough to accommodate all the files and documents that make your workstation messy and unorganized.
With your desk clear, you'll instantly feel your mind clearing, and you'll be able to work more efficiently and quickly.
5. Be Honest with Yourself
You've got to be honest to yourself if you want to succeed in a competitive workplace. Everyone has some weaknesses and some strengths. You've got to own both. Denying your weaknesses will only make things difficult for you. You've got to be honest with yourself about your weaknesses and accept and acknowledge them. Only then you'll be able to work around them.
You also need to be certain that you're where you want to be. Just because everyone says you're working at the best companies doesn't mean you've to continue working there. If you think the competitive workplace is getting better of your mental health, it's always better to switch.
The key is to be honest about your feelings, your goals, and your progress at work so that you can be certain about the fact that your job is what you want for yourself.
6. Take Initiatives
One of the best tips to help you succeed in a competitive workplace is to take the initiative. Instead of doing only the things your manager asks you to do, initiate things you think will add value to the company and improve your chances of standing out.
It could be anything. Look out for opportunities where you can present your strengths and don't miss them. Exceed your manager's expectations when you can. Do important tasks before your manager has to ask you to do them.
All of this will make you stand out among your coworkers and will also give you a sense of self-worth.
Always remember one thing. You can only succeed at work if you're in a good place physically, mentally, and emotionally. If any of these aspects are getting compromised, you won't be able to stay focused on your work.
Let's say you've got to work extra hours to complete a task before time. If your office furniture is uncomfortable and you continue to use it for several hours every day, you might develop health complications. That would affect your productivity big time.
If your manager's high expectations keep you stressed out all the time, you'll feel anxious and edgy, which will affect your work quality. If the stress of outperforming your coworkers is too much for you, it can directly impact your emotional and mental health.
So, before anything, you first need to ensure you're doing well physically, mentally, and emotionally because only then you'll be able to sustain and succeed in a competitive workplace.
