Many times in life, people are rewarded when they win at the expense of someone else losing. This is what competition is all about. From a very young age most of us are taught to have a competitive spirit.
Think about playing board games when you were little or participating on sports or academic teams as you grew up. While you may think of your workplace as yet another forum for this kind of win-or-lose equation, that's not really the case.
Being successful in the short-term might mean winning at the expense of someone else, but winning in the long-term means figuring out ways to keep everyone as happy and successful as possible. Particularly in today's competitive market, everyone needs to work together at a high level in order to succeed. There's no way this can happen when employees are only out for their own glory. When you're practicing Secret #4, you're working toward interdependence. Read on to learn tactics that can help you embrace this concept.

Find a role model
It can be hard to rewire yourself to achieve success in ways where
everyone is a winner. Right now, the idea may even sound hokey. The real challenge lies in coming to understand that interdependence
doesn't mean losing or giving into someone else. In this case, the
term means realizing that success is best achieved with minimal
enemies. Winning without someone losing takes creativity and more
effort. One quick way of learning this strategy is to find real-life role models who successfully advocate interdependence. Perhaps there is someone in either your office or your occupation who can serve this function. If not, look to community leaders or other successful people who have embraced interdependence and learn from their behaviors. Seeing team play and unselfish leadership in action, as well as their positive results, can be one of the best ways to bring this win-win style into your own life.

Who's your real competition?
It's unrealistic to think that we don't have competitors. But take a moment to think about who your competitors should be. Should your competition be: A) people in your own organization who, regardless of their behaviors, are working along side you to make your business successful, or B) external rivals who are vying for space in the same field or market as your business is?

 

The answer should be obvious.
Let rivalries be focused outside your organization.

Unfortunately, office politics (a frequent result of internal
competition) can blur the goals colleagues share. People can end up caring less about whether the company succeeds than they do for
getting credit for their ideas and work. No matter what level you've attained at your current organization, you can help stop this dangerous trend. If you manage a group of people, take a close look at the ways you assess and reward staff. Do your practices set up winners and losers? If so, you may want to rethink your business policies to install less divisive ones. Also, consider motivating
people by giving them personal goals, rather than comparing them to their colleagues.
If you're not in a position of authority, you can still introduce
interdependence. Begin by not getting caught up in the competition. Set an example for the group by being a team player and reminding
everyone where the real rewards lie.