How to Turn Competition Into Collaboration

In our business and personal lives it can feel like we are constantly competing. Who has the biggest clients who has the nicest house who has the most followers on Instagram? Not only is this constant competition exhausting, it’s detrimental to your mental health and sometimes even the success of your business. Below are my the biggest tips to turn competition into collaboration.

Stop Comparing

We’ve all heard the adage “Comparison is the thief of joy” but it’s true! Don’t evaluate your business success, the size of your home, or your personal happiness in relation to your friends, competitors, or anyone else. Take a good hard look at your life and appreciate the things that make you happy or proud, then consider the parts of your business or personal life that you would like to improve. Why are you struggling? What makes you unhappy? What can you do to fix them?

Get Over Yourself

When answering the questions in step 1 it can be easy to deflect your insecurities and unhappiness onto others, but here is where you have to get over yourself. If you are struggling in your business, it isn’t because your competitors have more followers than you. This step is the hardest because you need to get over yourself and stop blaming others for your hardships. Here is where you acknowledge your shortcomings, then move on to...

Ask for Help

You’ve acknowledged your shortcomings, you know where you need to improve, now it’s time to find someone to help you. Reach out to others in your industry or industries that are similar to yours and ask for help, but be prepared to offer up your own expertise in return. The goal of turning competition into collaboration is to reduce the negativity and build a partnership that benefits both parties so that you can stop your unhealthy competition and work together to build something great.

Have you ever fallen victim to unhealthy competition? What lessons did you learn?