You might have thought that friendly rivalry with your co-workers breaks the monotony during office hours. Competitive co-workers are said to keep you motivated to do better and help you perform better at work. Often, you see yourself competing against them in terms of creativity, management and execution. Well, who doesn't like a little friendly banter? However, working around overly-competitive coworkers can be a bit of a problem. Their excessive nature to exceed in everything can cause you harm at your workspace. These kinds of people do not leave even the slightest chance for you to excel but also snatch any little change that you have. To tackle these types of coworkers, we bring to you a few ways to deal with such people.

1. Speak directly

Feeling frustrated and staying mum will do you no good if your coworker is trying to one-up you. Communication has always been the basis to solve problems and hence, in this case as well, it’s best to communicate directly with the person. It’s time to intervene and say what you need to say in a warm, professional tone. Make sure that they understand why you’re taking this step. 2. Shift focus to yourself

Once you have spoken directly, try focusing on yourself. If your coworker isn’t one to maintain a healthy rivalry, maybe focusing on competing with yourself is what you need. Set professional goals at work and try accomplishing them. This will help you improve your work performance by yourself rather than relying on anybody else to motivate you.

3. Expand friendships with others

You can start talking more frequently with your other coworkers. Work towards building strong, professional relationships with others and slowly lose focus on that competitive coworker. Gain respect and improve your overall performance as a team member as well. Coordinate your work and praise others on their success and you’ll find that you’ve become a positive presence in the team.

4. Talk to your manager

If nothing else works and your coworker is still persistent on being overly competitive, then it’s time to take the final step. Talk about your situation to your manager professionally and inform them of the downfall you are experiencing solely because of the coworker’s actions. Communicating your problem to the manager is advisable in any situation. Trust your manager to find the right solution to your problem because none other than them can face the coworker and inform them more professionally.

Source: indiatimes.com