Each month we’ll be highlighting one of the 34 Clifton Strengths themes. We hope that by gaining a better understanding your team member’s strengths, as well as your own, your RSO can thrive! This month’s highlighted theme is: Competition
Competition is rooted in comparison. When they look at the world, they are instinctively aware of other people's performance. Other’s performance is the ultimate yardstick. No matter how hard they tried, no matter how worthy their intentions, if they reached their goal but did not outperform their peers, the achievement feels hollow. Like all competitors, they need other people. They need to compare. If they can compare, they can compete, and if they can compete, they can win. And when Competition wins, there is no feeling quite like it. They like measurement because it facilitates comparisons. They like other competitors because they invigorate them. They like contests because they must produce a winner. They particularly like contests where they know they have the inside track to be the winner. Although Competition is gracious to their fellow competitors and even stoic in defeat, they don't compete for the fun of competing. They compete to win. Over time they will come to avoid contests where winning seems unlikely.
Tips For Advising Someone Who Leads Through The Competition Talent:
•Measure this person’s accomplishments against others.
•Set up contests for this person. Highly charged competitors want to compete with others who are very close to their skill level, matching them against modest achievers won’t motivate them.
•Use competitive language with this person when you need to engage them in planning or problem solving.