The Data Scientist's Guide To Competition At Work
When solving technical problems is the least of your worries
We all eventually find ourselves in a battle, real or perceived, with a peer. Whether the competition is explicit, such as a fierce fight for a promotion, or simply a mental construct originating from an innate desire to succeed, it is important to maintain perspective, remember long-term goals, and never let someone else derail you.
Take The Long View
First things first. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. Barring a miraculous tech IPO windfall, you will be working for 40+ years. That’s an awfully long time. It can be difficult, but try to remember that today’s stressors do not matter. Any project that keeping you up at night now will be long forgotten by retirement.
Of course, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others, especially early in your career. You keep tabs on your friends, your graduating class, the colleagues who start the same day as you. Whatever you are hearing, realize that people rarely trumpet their failures. Work is likely not going any better for them than it is for you. And even if someone is getting ahead - who cares? It’s a blip. You’re playing the long game.
Focus On What You Can Learn
Having said that, don’t write off the success of others as pure luck. Jealousy is not an especially useful emotion, but if you are envious of that rising star, at least direct your energy to figuring out what you can learn from them.
Are they a strong communicator? Do they know how to pitch a project? Have they developed a unique technical toolkit? Failing that, maybe they are just lucky. In any case, suss out what’s working for them, and more importantly, rip out the pages from their playbook that you can incorporate into your own repertoire.
The flip side of this is that you should always take the time to mentor others. Such a strategy is justified from pure self-interest alone - those in power will notice if you raise the level of others around you, and the people you’ve helped won’t forget it either. But more importantly, it’s the right thing to do. Pay it forward. Again, we’re playing the long game.
Understand What Crosses The Line
Healthy competition should be just that. Disagreements are a normal part of life (and work). However, you should understand what is and is not acceptable. A peer should never take credit for what you’ve done, disparage you, sabotage you, and likewise, you should never do the same to others.
If someone has crossed the line, it’s important to act quickly. Don’t let it fester, and absolutely don’t let it happen again. If you believe there may have been an honest mistake - perhaps a peer just forgot to mention your name - then take it up (politely) with them. If this does not lead to a satisfactory resolution, or if the offense is more severe, then escalate immediately. Pretending something did not happen will only breed resentment on your part, distracting you from being your best, while letting the offending party skate by unscathed.
Find A Balance
Alas, one size fits all advice is hard to come by. You (rightfully) shouldn’t let others take credit for what you’ve done, yet at the same time, constantly keeping score will not endear you to teammates. Likewise, fearlessly stating your opinion can earn the respect of your colleagues, but once a decision is made you might just have to disagree and commit. Life is shades of grey. Managing competition at work requires feel, empathy, and a healthy dose of pragmatism.
Nice post