Are you dealing with a competitive manager? Well, a little competition doesn’t hurt anyone. It is healthy for the growth of the organization. It is fun to engage in common goals and work for the betterment of the company. But, what if your manager is a bit too competitive? It surely is a spoiler and takes away all the fun of working in the office. No one likes it when their manager drags them unnecessarily into the competition as it creates stress and burnout among the workers. As a result, work efficiency decreases as well.
Problems Of A Competitive Manager
While a competitive manager may think that he is working for the betterment of employees and the organization, but he doesn’t realize that exerting the employees is not the solution to everything! Though Elon Musk might doubt that, people are not machines. It creates many problems in the workplace and the work efficiency of the employees instead of increasing decreases. The employees have to face a lot of problems while dealing with a competitive manager such as the risk of burnout. Some of them are given below!
- Sets Unrealistic Expectations And Standards
A competitive manager sets unrealistic expectations and standards for the employees that are very difficult to be met by anyone. The competition gets so much to his head that he doesn’t realize that the members of his team are also human beings who cannot meet these unrealistic standards. As a result, they have to exert themselves and their work efficiency instead of increasing falls.
- Keeps The Employees Working For Long Hours
Due to the unrealistic expectations and work standards set by the competitive manager, the workers might have to work for longer hours than the standard time. The manager might think that working for longer hours would generate more results. But, this is not the case! This would only exhaust the employees more, will enter their brains into survival mode, and kill creativity.
- Makes The Employees Work More Than What Is Required
An overly competitive and ambitious manager would make the employees work more than what is needed to be done in order to achieve perfection. Even when the volume of work doesn’t require the employees to work more, he would keep them working which might lower the spirits of the worker, and they might even think of quitting their jobs.
- Does Not Empathize With The Workers
A competitive manager does not understand the feelings of the employees and doesn’t even understand what it requires to deliver the wanted results. All he does is put pressure on the employees while not understanding their point of view. He will keep pushing you to do more than what is required. Thus, the employees get the feeling of being suppressed and ignored.
- Will Not Give The Employees The Recognition
A competitive or demanding manager will not give the employees the due recognition they need. They are so much competitive that they will take all the credits for the teamwork themselves as they cannot see anyone doing better than themselves.
Tips For Dealing With A Competitive Manager
So, if you are also dealing with a manager who treats you like a competition rather than a team member, we have a few tips for you. These tips are surely going to help you in dealing with a competitive manager at the workplace. Let’s check them out:
1. Do Not Take Anything Personally
The most important thing while working with a competitive manager is to never take anything too personally. You need to realize that they too are answerable to their bosses. Therefore, it is not always necessary that they have something negative set against you in their mind. Maybe they are only focused upon delivering the best output which is why they are too hard upon you as well.
2. Minimize The Contact With Them
No matter how much the organization focuses on filtering the best employees while hiring, the process cannot be made perfect. This is why there might be some overly ambitious and competitive people present in the company. You might come in contact with such people as well. While dealing with a competitive manager, you need to analyze how important is your manager to your success in the workplace. If their presence does not matter to your growth in the office, then you should minimize your contact with them as much as possible.
3. Talk To Them
Sometimes, minimizing contact is not always the option. There are many circumstances in which you have to deal with and work with an overly competitive manager on a daily basis. So, what to do in these circumstances? Well, the best solution would be to talk to them openly about the problem and clear the air. You don’t need to do it abruptly. You can invite them to lunch or coffee and discuss the problem with them. Explain your concerns and issues to them as neutrally as possible and wait for a response from them.
4. Try To Understand Where Your Manger Is Coming From
Even if confessing about your problems doesn’t work, then you should try to look at the picture from your manager’s point of view. Maybe he or she is looking at a wider picture and there is something that he understands but you don’t. It might also be possible that you are just over thinking and a bit of competition is indeed necessary to get things done accurately and efficiently. Thus, looking at the situation from your manager’s point of view can give you a new perspective and you will understand why he is being competitive!
5. Try To Change Yourself
Once you have realized that you are not going to change your manager and his overly competitive behavior, you should consider changing yourself so that you start getting along with your manager. You need to realize that there is no use of banging your head against the wall. So, to achieve harmony in the workplace, you should consider changing your work style and habits that would go along with that of your manager’s. You might not understand it now but maybe it will prove to be beneficial for your career in the long run.
6. Observe People That Get Along With The Manager
If you have decided upon changing your habits and work style to match with that of your manager’s, you can do it so by observing the people that go along with the manager. You need to find out why they have a great relationship with the manager and you don’t. Maybe there is something about their working style or maybe they are more efficient to you. Once you have figured it out, try to change your working style that would impress your manager.
7. Set A Clear Agenda
There is a possibility that the overly ambitious nature of your manager lets him or her think that you are not a worthy candidate for some important job or group. They might consider people for the project that they get along with rather than you. This is why you need to set a clear agenda with your manager that you are willing to do more. You should convince them that you have all the capabilities and the talent that is required to get the job done right. If you’re too embarrassed to ‘sell yourself’, you might be surprised that selling yourself can be easier than you thought, once you understand what value you can give to your manager and company.
8. Make Sure You Two Are On The Same Page
Make sure that you and your manager are on the same page while discussing any idea or project. Listen carefully to the instructions and directions of your manager and discuss any confusion that may arise right on the spot. It will increase your credibility and reliability in the eyes of the manager.
9. Be A Problem Solver
Being a problem solver rather than a problem maker is another thing that needs to be taken care of while working with a competitive manager. Do not miss deadlines, be prepared for all the projects, and help your manager as much as you can in delivering the best output. Even though you are having problems solving a particular issue, come with a solution even for that. It will increase your worth in the eyes of the manager and there might come a time that they will realize that they are setting unrealistic goals and expectations from the team.
10. Praise Your Manager For A Positive Change
When you notice a tiny bit of change in the nature of your competitive manager, you should praise them about it. Whether it is a big change or small, do not let it go unnoticed and let them know that you appreciate it. Even tiny continuous changes eventually add up into massive momentum. It will encourage them to keep up this behavior and as a result, you will not have to exert yourself in the office.
A manager plays an important role in sending important signals to the employees. But, a competitive manager might make it difficult for the employees to work peacefully and the risk of burnout increases as well. Therefore, employees need to know that there are practices and necessary tips that can help to deal with such competitive managers.
