Finding your voice in a competitive team

Finding your voice in a competitive kollektivFinding your voice in a competitive gruppeWho doesnt love to work on a high-performing kollektiv? Its motivating to work with smart, dedicated colleagues who constantly add value to projects and are quick to execute on their responsibilities, then ask, Whats next?But in some high-performing teams, collaboration gets put aside as competition heats up. Co-workers play verbal ping-pong in meetings, constantly promote their achievements, and put in long hours to try to gain an edge over their colleagues.Sometimes, it can seem easier to take a back seat while your teammates go head to head. But Linda Adams, President of Gordon Training International, says, Silencing ourselves exacts a huge price. When you adopt a passive attitude, your contributions and opinions get overlooked, and the team loses a valuable voice.So what does it take to speak up and have a voice when you work in a highly competitive team?When a participant asked that question i n my recent webinar, Finding Your Voice, panelist Monali Jain leaped at the opportunity to offer some guidance.And for good reason Jain has spent her career working on high-performing, highly competitive teams. Her experience encompasses roles in software engineering, technology leadership, angel investing and consulting. Im working on a multi-million dollar project right now, she said. Everybody who is on the team is very competitive thats why theyre there.While it can be easy to be intimidated by these hard-charging, high-stakes environments, Jain has a great perspective on the benefits. I am driven by competition, but more so by team success, explains Jain. Competitive people are driven by wanting to be better than before - so learn from themTo answer my webinar participants question - and perhaps your own - Jain offered these three suggestions for thriving on a highly competitive team.1. Take your seat at the tableThe first step to finding your own voice in a highly competiti ve atmosphere is to show up with the right attitude. If you find yourself on such a team, embrace the experience.Once youve gotten into the team, it means youve got aseat at the table, Jain says. Now, use it.You might feel intimidated by the team at first, but realize youre there for a reason. Youve met the price of admission, so trust your particular skill set, and challenge yourself to speak up. Make sure you contribute, says Jain. Contribute even if youre not asked.2. Lean on your networkAccording to Jain, one way to increase your comfort level with speaking up in a competitive team is to build a very strong network.Jain used the example of a time when her team was in a tough meeting, trying to justify a particularly big investment.We were about to make a multi-million dollar commitment and needed to know how it would pan out, Jain says. They asked tough questions, and we didnt have answers.To find those answers, Jain reached out to her network for help, and because of the connec tions she had made, she was able to come back to her team with some new data points to look at. With this fresh perspective, the team was able to move beyond the impasse.Ask yourself Would you have those kinds of resources to draw on? If not, now is the time to begin buildinga network of high-caliber associatesthat complement (or exceed) the skills of your team. Then, youll have on-demand access to a network of confidantes and experts for support and answers when the pressures on you and your team to deliver.3. Differentiate yourselfFinally, its important to let the other team members know what you bring to the table as an individual as well as a team player.Differentiate yourself, so that you can complement others, not compete with them, advises Jain. When youre in a competitive team, it means youre there to collaborate. Youre there to help each other and supplement each other.Figure out what you can do differently than other team members that will be auniquely valuable contributio n. For example, bringing in those data points was my contribution, Jain shares.Do this well, asserts Jain, and others will reach out to you for your expertise. If you differentiate yourself, people will look up to you and make you a part of the team.Working on a team is complicated - even more so when populated with vocal, highly competitive colleagues. Contribute, seek support, and carve out your own niche. Youll be able to establish your unique voice in your team.Thisarticlewas originally posted onBeLeaderly.com.

The most cringe-worthy, team-building exercise I participated in

The most cringe-worthy, team-building exercise I participated inThe most cringe-worthy, team-building exercise I participated inFabio is at the door.This phrase, uttered in a mockingly dramatic tone, can totenstill elicit groans and laughter in certain Seattle advertising circles. This team-building exercise, which happened over 20 years ago, is legendary in its awfulness.I welches a new hire - and new to the role as a copywriter for a large advertising agency which is now part of a behemoth global concern. My first of many jobs for this group of agencies, which are generous as a rule, and tend to have plenty of funds for employee development programs, no matter how dubious.This particular office suffered from an unusually competitive, back-stabby culture. In retrospect, I also think the culture extended to client and vendor relations. Maybe some of them complained about things like padded invoices and inflated hours which they couldnt prove, or maybe someone thought we needed conti nuing education in ethics.Regardless of the reason, they thought they could fix things by bringing in this consultant, a Tony Robbins type, who announcedI am here to help you feel inspired.Inspired to, you know, not pad the expense reports and stuff. At least this welches the gist of it again in retrospect. But it was all couched in these touchy-feely parables about relationships, including a hypothetical situation he outlined while instructing us to shut your eyes.I want you to imagine youre a woman, home alone. Your husband is traveling on business. He will be gone for awhile. Nobody else is around to see you or hear you.Okay, my eyes are shut. Im picturing myself on the couch with a pint of ice cream, watching As The World Turns like the 1990s stay-at-home housewife I wasnt.Suddenly, you hear a knock. You go to answer it.Fabio is at the door.Huh? You mean that dude on the fake butter commercials? Why would he be at the door?The guy waited with bated breath. What do you do? Do you invite him in? After all, nobody will know.Um, ew, no. God no. Thats super creepy, and quite frankly, more of a male fantasy than something women would dream up, especially those who might have been raped or attacked by an intruder.Why on earth would this guy think that this was an appropriate question to bring up in a corporate setting? Its horrible,even in an everyday setting. Like he assumed that if were offered a chance to cheat without getting caught, wed jump at it, even with a total stranger.Besides, Fabio??? I mean, he could have used Antonio Banderas or Harrison Ford or even the guy in the Cindy Crawford Diet Coke commercial. But no, not Fabio.I wasnt the only one to be shocked. Stunned silence was followed by laughter, followed by boos, followed by a lot of people - the women especially - walking out on the whole thing to complain.Funny enough, I did end up meeting Fabio during a personal appearance at Whole Foods years later. He was handsome, I guess, but the attractio n was mitigated by the presence of a box fan hed set up so his hair would remain windblown as he talked about the whey protein he was shilling.Nice enough guy, but if he showed up at my door, Id still call the cops.Photo credit me. Im the second person on the left, cuddling up to the big lug.This post first appeared on Quora.

Worker safety rules are quietly going away

Worker safety rules are quietly going awayWorker safety rules are quietly going awayAs of March 14, the Labor Department has yet to publicly release any fines against companies committing workplace safety violations.This silence contrasts with the rush of fines from past administrations. Under President Obama, the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released about 460 notices annually about fines.Why it matters What OSHA does, at its best, is advocate on behalf of workers by penalizing workplace safety offenders and detail what exactly employers did wrong.Without the list being made public, workershave no way of finding out which employers are frequent workplace safetyviolators.No more public shamingOSHAs list was used to raise awareness of workplace safety violations and force employers to improve their conditions through public shaming.This is a popular technique most frequently used by journalists. The Village Voice was known for annuallypublicizing th e 10 Worst Landlords of New York City, a list that would prompt landlords to do anything to get off of it for the next year.Now, companies dont have to worry so much about keeping records. Under the Obama administration, OSHA required companies to electronically submit records of workplace accidents, so that OSHA could list them publicly on its website. OSHA under president Donald Trump, in contrast, is not accepting electronic submissions at this time.OSHA rules apply to bro workers and factory workersAn important bit of context While OSHA is frequently considered a key protection for blue-collar factory workers, it also protects white-collar workers, who may become injured or ill from electrical dangers, indoor air problems, poor housekeeping, excessive noise, inaccessible fire extinguishers, and entrances and exits which may be blocked, according to an OSHA document.Everything from badeanstalt air quality to insufficient equipment could lead to white-collar workers seeking disabi lity payments for respiratory illnesses, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other physical maladies. Workers compensation to pay for injuries and illnesses in the workplace covered nearly 133 million Americans as of the most recent tally, according to the National Association of Social Insurance.Falls, slips and trips - which could happen in any office - account for around 17% of all workplace compensation claims, according to the National Association of Social Insurance.The organization noted in its most recent report, in fact, that white-collar workers are the ones most likely to be covered for long-term disability insurance 59% of workers in management and professional-related occupations were covered by long-term disability plans as of 2014, compared to 34% of workers in sales and office occupations, and 10% of workers in service occupations.That said, OSHAs strongest work comes in preventing fatalities on the job, which are far more likely to happen in factories.Senseless tragedyAs an example, in 2016, OSHA fined Alabama-based Ajin USA$2.5 millionafter a 20-year-old female factory worker was fatally impaled by a malfunctioning robot.In its report, OSHA calledthe incident asenseless tragedy that was entirely preventable with better safety guidelines. Putting Ajin USA on its Severe Violators Enforcement Program, OSHA could inspect Ajin USA factories more frequently.Without that list being publicly available, companies that violate safety rules are better able to avoid accountability.Federal contracts may go to workplace safety violatorsIn fact, companies that dont respect workplace safety wont even suffer financially they are now more likely to get federal contracts than they were just three months ago.Thats because in early March, the Senate voted to repeal theFair Pay and Safe Workplaces regulation, which the Obama administration put in place. The law required employers bidding on federal contracts to disclose alleged workplace safety violations. It was suppos ed to make it harder for the worstviolatorsto get government funding byholding them more accountable.With that law repealed, companies with safety violations can more easily win federal contracts. Since 1 in 5 American workers is employed by a federal contractor, this rule could have far-reaching consequences.Less regulation means more concerns for workers healthOSHA is now also delaying a rule that would decrease workers exposure toberyllium, a mineral linked to a fatallung disease. Due to the White Houses regulatory freeze memorandum, the rule that was supposed to go into effect this month will now go into effect onMay 20.In January, OSHA estimated that therule would impact 62,000 workers and save 94 lives annually, so longer delays or kompetenz revisions could further jeopardize workers health.