6 tricks to deal with very competitive people

In a society where productivity has become almost a religion, competitive people seem to have more incentives than ever to remain competitive.

Taking into account that professional life is increasingly mixed with private life, in addition, this competitive spirit emerges in all kinds of situations: trying to capture the attention of someone influential, showing off wealth, when it comes to being the neighbor with the best image public or even when what you want is to compete with others in the number of followers you have on social networks such as Instagram.

The upshot of this is that today almost all of us know a good number of competitive people who value the fact of outperforming others more than the stimulation of the effort itself. This can make you people are prone to opportunism, manipulation or even the desire to sacrifice all their work (and that of the people who work with them) to projects that are not very beneficial for the simple fact of passing in front of other competitors.

Ways to deal with competitive people

The aforementioned makes competitive people much more than the muscle of companies and organizations; they can also be the spark that starts unnecessary conflict, a source of anxiety about friends and family and the propagators of a bad work climate.

Fortunately, There are ways to deal with these types of people so that their negative side is appeased..

1. Do not let the ego of the other prevail

An effective way to prevent competitive people from always trying to attract the attention of others is, simply do not reward this type of behavior. For example, when in an informal meeting or at a party a person competing for attention is constantly interrupting others and By talking about their experiences, tastes, and opinions, they can be politely asked not to interrupt while keeping the course of the conversation following their course.

In these cases it is a bad strategy to behave in the same way as the competitive person in question, competing with her in a contest to see which monologue is imposed on the other, since this does not break with the logic of the competitiveness.

2. Assert yourself

When dealing with competitive people, it is not only important to maintain a favorable relationship framework for the majority; it is necessary to defend one's own rights.

So yes arrogance and pride the other undermines our dignity, it is good to make calls for attention so that such situations are not repeated and, incidentally, order can be maintained. In these cases, assertiveness is the key.

3. Control the work environment

If the negative effects of having a competitive person around are noticeable at work, either because uses unethical tricks to reach his goals or because he sets different goals than those planned, one of the strategies that can be followed is to intervene directly on the work environment changing the reward or "penalty" system. For example, if the person in question intends to bring down others by hoarding all the performance bonuses, put limitations on these motivation mechanisms it is a very effective solution.

It is important to note that this is a measure with a collective impact, and that it does not affect only the competitive person. However, this fact can also be an advantage, since it is taken as a fair measure that affects everyone equally.

4. Educate in principles of equality

If the competitive person in question is young and willing to participate in their education and training, it is good to lead her to reflect on the moral values ​​behind her behavior and how they fit into a culture that values ​​equal opportunity. But this is not a task that must be undertaken solely from theory; It can also be taught from the practice of games and group activities in which what matters most is the interest of the group.

In medium and large companies it is increasingly common to invite all their members to participate in collective games, such as soccer or paintball, for this reason. In this sense, for example, the case of a company located in China that has developed a team of castellers (Catalan tradition) in which their workers can participate to carry out the most spectacular human towers.

5. Reverse engineering to discover the origin of competitive behavior

Many times there are cases in which people who do not stand out for being competitive begin to engage in behavioral dynamics of extreme individualism.

In these cases, it is very possible that a recent change in the daily context of this person has had the effect of this change in attitude. Exploring the reasons for this transformation is one of the ways to manage the way this person affects us and, sometimes, even makes it possible for us to help them.

6. Managing fear and paranoia

When you are in a situation that is perceived as dangerous or high risk, one of the first manifestations of anxiety and fear that this produces is competitive behavior.

Not being able to trust anyone makes others see themselves as a means to an end or, sometimes, as potential threats from which to protect oneself. In these cases, communication and the establishment of agreements with guarantees are very useful to make this defensive attitude not a problem.