AskST Jobs: My colleague and I are up for the same promotion. Can we still work well together?
Competition for the same promotion can create tension, but employees should focus on proving their own value without undermining colleagues, say experts.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
To maintain good workplace relationships, managers must ensure transparent selection criteria and leaders communicate well, show empathy, and build trust.
When two colleagues compete for the same promotion, it can create tension in the workplace. However, employees should focus on proving their own value without undermining their colleagues. Managers must ensure transparent selection criteria and leaders communicate well, show empathy, and build trust.
Analysis
Workplace Dynamics in Competition for Promotions
Competition for the same promotion can create tension in the workplace, but employees should focus on proving their own value without undermining colleagues, say experts. Managers must ensure transparent selection criteria to prevent unhealthy rivalry and maintain good workplace relationships.
According to Tan Weixi, managing partner at Workplace Asia, the key is to compete for the opportunity, not against the person. Employees should make their own case, be clear about the value they bring, and ask what they need to demonstrate. However, they should avoid building their case by highlighting their colleague's weaknesses.
Tan also emphasized the importance of transparent selection criteria and decision-making processes. When people understand how a decision was reached, they are more likely to accept an outcome they dislike. Otherwise, when the rules are unclear, colleagues stop competing on performance and start competing on politics.
Sam Neo, founder of storytelling and mentorship platform Stories of Asia, added that when two colleagues compete for the same promotion, the person who misses out may naturally have some negative feelings. However, whether those feelings grow or diminish depends on how the winner engages with them during and after the competition.
Neo also highlighted the importance of communication and trust in maintaining good workplace relationships. Good leaders do not have to use their authority; they influence with their capabilities and leverage trust and empathy to get things done.
Ultimately, organisations should not try to eliminate competition. Ambitious employees will, and should, compete for opportunities, but the goal is to create an environment where they can do so without feeling that they have to undermine someone else to get ahead.
Communication and Trust in the Workplace
Effective communication and trust are crucial in maintaining good workplace relationships. When employees take on bigger roles, whether they are now leading their peers or, at times, more senior colleagues, they need to learn to 'wear a different hat, communicate expectations and recalibrate their mindset.'
As Neo said, 'If there was an existing good working relationship, I don’t think it gets damaged just because you get promoted.' What’s important is how you leverage that relationship and trust to take things forward, rather than switching gears immediately to pull the boss card, assuming you now manage them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, competition for the same promotion can create tension in the workplace, but employees should focus on proving their own value without undermining colleagues. Managers must ensure transparent selection criteria and leaders communicate well, show empathy, and build trust. By doing so, organisations can create an environment where employees can compete for opportunities without feeling that they have to undermine someone else to get ahead.
Key points
- Competition for the same promotion can create tension in the workplace.
- Employees should focus on proving their own value without undermining colleagues.
- Managers must ensure transparent selection criteria and leaders communicate well, show empathy, and build trust.
- Organisations should not try to eliminate competition, but create an environment where employees can compete for opportunities without feeling that they have to undermine someone else to get ahead.
If leaders communicate well, show empathy, and build trust, winning or losing a promotion doesn’t have to damage relationships. Employees can compete for opportunities without feeling that they have to undermine someone else to get ahead.
If the selection criteria and decision-making process are unclear, colleagues may start competing on politics rather than performance, leading to unhealthy rivalry and damaged relationships.
