People who are especially talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Ideas for Action
1. Select work environments in which you can measure your achievements. You might not be able to discover how good you can be without competing.
2. List the performance scores that help you know where you stand every day. What scores should you pay attention to?
3. Identify a high-achieving person against whom you can measure your own achievement. If there is more than one, list all the people with whom you currently compete. Without measurement, how will you know if you won?
4. Try to turn ordinary tasks into competitive games. You will get more done this way.
5. When you win, take the time to investigate why you won. You can learn a great deal more from a victory than from a loss.
6. Let people know that being competitive does not equate with putting others down. Explain that you derive satisfaction from pitting yourself against good, strong competitors and winning.
7. Develop a “balanced metric” — a measurement system that will monitor all aspects of your performance. Even if you are competing against your own previous numbers, this measurement will help you give proper attention to all aspects of your performance.
8. When competing with others, create development opportunities by choosing to compare yourself to someone who is slightly above your current level of expertise. Your competition will push you to refine your skills and knowledge to exceed those of that person. Look one or two levels above you for a role model who will push you to improve.
9. Take the time to celebrate your wins. In your world, there is no victory without celebration.
10. Design some mental strategies that can help you deal with a loss. Armed with these strategies, you will be able to move on to the next challenge much more quickly.
* Source: StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath