Competition in the work place

I really love my job, it is probably the best one I have ever had.

It is strange because when I got the new job it was a step up from the old one. I have more responsibility and more money. But unlike my other job I am back at the bottom – basically I am the office junior and have to do all the tedious work that comes with that.

I am the only one who does this role, everyone else above me is more senior and the only person who gets paid less is the cleaner who comes in at the end of the day.

But I really don’t mind because of all the other opportunities to develop, learn and grow.

Because I have been so successful in my role they have seen the value of having a good base of support staff and have appointed a new person to take on a similar role.

For some reason, someone thought I might see it as threat to my own career aspirations. But I don’t.

I had difficulties because my predecessor left before I started, so I had no one to learn the role from. The job I do today was learnt through trial and error, asking questions and offering my services to support others.

I want them to learn from the mistakes I made and generally have an easier time settling into the role.

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If they can pick that up, learn and develop on what I know, then really I have been successful and everyone benefits.

I have worked in far too many places where a number of people are doing the same job have a promotion opportunity to appear – it is amazing how quickly the knifes come out. By the time a new hire has been made teams are damaged due to the number of grudges built and sore feeling from the failing candidates.

This is damaging to the workplace.

So if the opportunity for promotion came up, I wouldn’t feel threatened by the competition, I would see it as a chance for one of us to move on and the other to keep developing in other ways.

Note: I originally wrote this post in April 2015, but never published it. I find it interesting post because five months after writing it I was promoted in my role. Then another 18 months later I was promoted again!

During that time I have worked in a competitive environment with talented people, but I have never felt the threat of competition – my attitude is to continue to learn as much as possible.

When it comes to future promotion I just take the view that the best man (or woman) will win and if it is not me, then it’s not the right time for advancement.