Have you ever found yourself competing with a colleague for the same promotion? What if the answer isn’t rivalry, but collaboration?
I was recently reading The Spark of Optimism (by Simon Sinek’s team) and felt inspired to write about a challenge many professionals face: competing with a coworker for the same role.
Most people immediately think of strategies — outperforming, showing off, building alliances. But Simon Sinek offers a surprising and powerful answer: helping your competitor.
Why Collaboration Wins
- 🧬 Nature teaches us: It’s not the strongest organisms that survive, it’s those that collaborate and adapt. The same applies in the workplace.
- 🤝 Sustainable success: If you get the promotion, your peers are less likely to sabotage you and more likely to support your leadership.
- 🧘♀️ Healthier environment: Collaboration reduces stress and builds a more engaged workplace.
- 🌱 Build genuine relationships: You may begin to admire your colleagues’ strengths.
- 💼 Goodwill matters: If someone else gets the promotion, they’ll remember you as a supportive teammate.
- 🌟 Shift your energy: True leadership is about mindset and actions, not titles.
- ✨ Become your best self: Focus on growth over competition — the only thing fully in your control.
A Deep Truth
When you change, everything around you changes.
If you’re unsure, try it, but remember: it must be genuine. Helping others with a hidden agenda won’t work. This mindset only works when you focus on who you’re becoming, not just what you’re trying to achieve.
The Win-Win Mindset
- You’ll feel more at peace.
- You’ll grow, no matter the result.
- You’ll preserve your well-being.
- You’ll help build a culture that values people, not just positions.
The best approach is to focus on what you can control: your performance, behaviour, and emotions. This keeps you grounded in your own growth and helps you show up authentically every day.
After all, promotions depend on many factors — what you can control is your behaviour, mindset, and how you show up every day.
How to Shift from Competition to Collaboration
Start with these reflection prompts:
- What does success mean to me — beyond job titles?
- How can I support someone at work this week, even if we’re aiming for the same goal?
- Am I focused on growing, or on winning?
- What version of myself do I want to bring to this situation?
✨ Rethink ambition as a journey of growth.
If you’ve tried this mindset shift before, I’d love to hear your experience. And if you haven’t yet, maybe now is the time to try.
