People with strong Competition talents are at their best when they are motivating themselves and others to higher levels of performance.
Competition®
A theme in the Influencing domain of CliftonStrengths
People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Full Theme Description
Competition is rooted in comparison. When you look at the world, you are instinctively aware of other people's performance. Their performance is the ultimate yardstick.
No matter how hard you tried, no matter how worthy your intentions, if you reached your goal but did not outperform your peers, the achievement feels hollow. Like all competitors, you need other people. You need to compare. If you can compare, you can compete, and if you can compete, you can win. And when you win, there is no feeling quite like it.
You like measurement because it facilitates comparisons. You like other competitors because they invigorate you. You like contests because they must produce a winner. You particularly like contests where you know you have the inside track to be the winner.
Although you are gracious to your fellow competitors and even stoic in defeat, you don't compete for the fun of competing. You compete to win. Over time you will come to avoid contests where winning seems unlikely.
This Theme’s Power and Edge
People with strong Competition talents have the ability to stimulate themselves and others to a higher standard of performance. They can raise a group’s achievement level by creating a culture of winning and an aspiration to be the best.
How People with Strong Competition Talents Describe Themselves
"I am aware of my competitors."
"I need peers for comparison and motivation."
"I love a chance to go against the best."
"I hate coming in second."
"I bring an aspiration to be the best."
Theme Contrast
| Competition | “When I watch others perform, I get better.” |
| Significance | “When others watch me perform, I get better.” |
| Competition | “The scorecard measures my progress and validates victory.” |
| Analytical | “Data quantify my experiences and validate my theories.” |
Competition Helps and Hinders
Helps
You create daily, monthly and yearly metrics for success to track your performance scores. This creates an energy for your team that pushes them to reach higher levels of achievement.
Your drive to outperform others can stimulate innovation and creativity.
You are naturally attuned to real-world measures that assess achievement, leading you to describe what outstanding performance looks like.
Your drive to win and your need for clear metrics that define success can inspire others and cause them to want to be on your team.
Hinders
If you lead a team, competing to win against your team is counter-productive. Instead, find a way to use your Competition to define and celebrate team wins.
Your Competition talents push you, so you might tend to push others — sometimes too hard.
Remember that winning at all costs isn't winning; it's defeating yourself. Make sure your integrity remains intact when you push yourself and your team to victory.
Don't let your competitive spirit cloud your relationships with your team members and peers. Find ways to unite your team members by finding what each does best and positioning them for maximum effectiveness to create a winning combination.
If Competition is a Dominant Theme for You, Take Action to Maximise Your Potential
Create daily measures of success for you and the teams you are involved with. Learn what it takes to win consistently.
Review measurements of your past performances regularly. Your talents will naturally motivate you to identify and surpass your personal records.
Select tasks, roles and work environments that allow you to measure your achievements. You might never discover how good you can be without competing.
Identify a high-achieving person against whom you can measure your own accomplishments. If there is more than one, list all of the people with whom you currently compete. Without measurement, how will you know if you won?
Celebrate your wins. In your world, there is no victory without a celebration.
Find friends whom you can be competitive with.
Try to turn ordinary tasks into competitive games. You will do more this way.
Think about why you won when you win. You can sometimes learn more from a victory than a loss.
Let people know that being competitive does not mean that you put other people down. Explain that you derive your satisfaction from pitting yourself against good, strong competitors and winning. It is not satisfying to outperform players who aren’t as strong.
Potential Blind Spots to Watch Out for
Be careful not to let your competitive spirit get in the way of your relationships. Not everyone has your drive to win, and constantly comparing your performance to theirs might offend them or hurt their feelings.
Winning at all costs isn’t winning; it’s self-defeating. Make sure you maintain your principles when you push yourself toward ultimate victory.
If Competition Is a Lesser Theme for You
Having less intense Competition talents does not preclude you from having a competitive drive. You might want to win, but that could mean beating a previous record you set as opposed to an opponent’s.
Find those among your top themes that provide you energy and motivation. Achiever, Activator, Maximizer and Responsibility talents may be the fire that can fuel your endeavours in the same way that Competition talents do for others.
Be careful not to judge or undervalue highly competitive people. These people have a different source of motivation. Highly competitive people stay motivated and can rally a team to take on a new challenge.
Build stretch goals for yourself that serve as internal standards or benchmarks. Set a more ambitious goal every time you finish a project.
You may find motivation from meeting others’ expectations. Ask for regular performance feedback from your manager and valued partners.
Source: Gallup®
“When you win, nothing hurts."
— Joe Namath, professional football quarterback