Jim Collison:
[0:00] Welcome to Season 4 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where we'll dive deep into how CliftonStrengths themes build powerful partnerships and help teams thrive. I'm Jim Collison, Gallup's CliftonStrengths Community Manager.
Jillian White:
[0:10] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership and our Lead Subject Matter Expert for CliftonStrengths.
Jim Collison:
[0:16] Today's theme is Competition. We'll explore this theme — what it brings, what it needs, how it fosters collaboration. And Jillian, always great to see you. Welcome!
Jillian White:
[0:23] Always great to join you, Jim. Excited for today's theme of Competition.
Jim Collison:
[0:27] Let's dig in a little bit on this and look back at the theme. Refresh us. What does this theme look like?
Jillian White:
[0:34] Yeah. Let's just remember, anybody who's high in Competition, at the heart of how they are wired, they love to compete, and they love to win. Think about what drives that Competition. It is an Influencing strength. So it wants to be the best, and it will help push other people to be the best with them. The image that I like to think of when I view Competition is a scoreboard. Competition is actually wired to thrive when they are looking at an external comparison or an external benchmark. So they know who their competitors are. They know what the game is. They know what the score is. And at the end of the day, they are wired and motivated to want to look at that scoreboard and see that they've won the game. So that image helps give an idea of what really just lights up that high Competition.
Jim Collison:
[1:24] I like to poke fun at the Competition friends who, when I say, "Hey, remember, the only theme that has actual win in it is Woo!" And then we have this, this, it's in the title, right? And we have this great conversation about it, and about winning. Jillian, let's think about some real-world examples, maybe in the work that you've done in organizations, because Competition is one of those, from an organizational standpoint, that fits so well, right? We're in — businesses are out there to win, right — whatever that looks like for them. Can you, can you have any examples?
Jillian White:
[2:00] You know, I actually have a lot of examples around Competition. And it's fun to just think of real ways that these show up in collaboration within organizations, the types of things you're coaching leaders or teams around. I can think of a specific example with Competition where I was coaching a leader in a banking client, and they had a whole team underneath of them that was really focused on driving the customer experience. So they were measuring the customer experience, right? And here's an example of a learning of somebody who had high Competition and how to work best with others. So they were really driven to love to win. Competition gets excited when you've got a contest, something to compete against. So they kept creating all of these contests for everyone on their team to try to get to these higher customer engagement scores. And it just was not working. So we said, "Let's pull back for just a second. Let's actually look at the strengths of you and of your team," right? We knew the leader had high Competition. I pulled the team report. Any guess what the No. 1 strength of that team was?
Jim Collison:
[3:03] Was it Competition?
Jillian White:
[3:05] It was Harmony! Jim, it was Harmony! And so this, to me, was such a great example of thinking about, How do you really use that Competition, the desire to want to win, to win over your customers in that situation, but partner with a team high in Harmony? So a lot of the strategies we ended up talking about was how to tailor that Competition to think about winning together. Who is the competition outside of the team? Instead of pitting them against one another, still use that Competition lens, but think about how to give a common goal that that team can be to be aligned in, in how to win together — whether that's pitting them against another team focused on customer scores or a customer, another retail banking client outside of that company. So, fun way to start to look at how you can be aware of how that Competition is showing up for good, and think about who's on the other side of that Competition.
Jim Collison:
[4:04] I think also in the terms of, you know, we, when we think about teams and organizations, the, there's a big "C" Competition — the theme itself. And then there's the small "c." This is one of them, right, where that word, we use that word, it's ubiquitous in some ways — and especially in sales environments, right, where you can, because you don't have Competition in your Top 5 doesn't mean you're not going to be a great salesperson. Right? And so there is that small "c." We spend some time thinking about it. I think it's a little trick that we can use, too, in, in, when we're using a strengths lexicon to say, "Oh, no, that's my big "C" Competition. Or, no, this is a comp, this is a small "c" competition. We're doing it. We're all going to participate in it, because it has to be done. But it's a, it's, it's that small c "competition." I don't know, would you add anything to that?
Jillian White:
[4:50] Yeah, and let's remind ourselves of that as a community of strengths practitioners inside of organizations, outside of organizations. But, you know, really, at the end of the day, what we know from our strengths research is there's multiple ways to get to the same outcome. People are going to be stronger getting to that outcome when we allow them to get there in a way that plays to their strengths. So Jim, even to your example there, we might assume that people in a sales role have to have high Competition — they may not. We might see more Competition tend to show up in people in sales roles, because they like environments where they can have clear metrics to win. They want to have that win, right? But I've also seen people high Relationship Building or high Strategic Thinking. And at the end of the day, you can still get to that same outcome, but we're going to be most powerful when we're thinking about how to get there through that lens of strengths.
Jim Collison:
[5:41] Yeah, for everyone in Gallup Access, we have this new section, new section reports —I Bring, I Need reports, so you can compare and contrast yourself with another individual, as we're thinking about powerful partnerships in the season, a great tool for you. Jillian, when we think about what Competition needs and what it brings, let's start with the "bring." What does it bring to a team?
Jillian White:
[6:03] Yeah, think about partnering with somebody with high Competition. What do they bring? They bring that passion and that drive to want to win. They will help to elevate the performance of your partnership and your team, because they want to do what it takes to be the best. You're going to feel that. You're going to feel a little bit of that healthy pressure. You're going to feel a little bit of that strive for winning when you're partnering with somebody with that high Competition. They are also going to bring a keen awareness of who your competitors are and how you're doing compared to your competitors. So tap into that. That's going to be advantageous, as you're tracking your progress toward winning together.
Jim Collison:
[6:41] Yeah, they bring a sorting effect to a team, I think. Like, How are we doing? Is it working, or is it not working? And I love that, I love that drive for success in that. What about, What does it need?
Jillian White:
[6:55] Yeah, if we think about what Competition needs, it needs that comparison. It's what motivates it. When I think about even a team that maybe gives stack rankings on how people are doing on their sales results right now, that will motivate somebody with high Competition to see how they are doing compared to other people or compared to other competitors. They need to see that external benchmark. They need measurable goals to know how they're doing. Essentially think, How do I know if I'm winning at this game? They have to be able to measure that and see progress in that and know if they're winning or not and how to adjust their strategy. They also need opportunities to compete and be recognized for their wins. So think about, you know, the example that I gave earlier with the banking leader creating all these contests for their team — why did they do that? Because that's how they thrive. Now, not everyone thrives in that environment, but if you are working with somebody with high Competition, they will likely thrive if you are doing things that create a bit of a contest, gamify things, a little healthy competition, opportunities to compete and to recognize the wins — that's what they need.
Jim Collison:
[8:03] Well, and I think some of the key you just said, in recognizing the wins, the base of that's recognition. I think sometimes the underutilized part of somebody with high Competition is their ability to come up with recognition in a way that's meaningful. We spend a lot of time thinking about that, and some, some folks like, "Oh, what, what is meaningful?" I think those high in Competition know what meaningful is. To them, they can define that very quickly. This is what matters, right?
Jillian White:
[8:31] Yeah. And that's, that's a great connection back. Obviously, within Gallup, we do a lot of research on just what creates great workplaces and high-performing teams. We know one of the drivers of high-performing teams is that they feel like they are in a place where they're receiving praise or recognition every 7 days for doing great work. And I think what you're going to find is oftentimes, the way people like to be recognized connects back with their strengths. If you're high Competition, what's meaningful recognition? When you are recognized for the win and the effort that it — the pursuit that it took to get that win.
Jim Collison:
[9:05] Love that. In the new Top —let me say it again, in the new Top 5 report, easier said than done, right, we have a new section called Theme Dynamics. That part's not new, but we brought that section in. We compare Theme A to Theme B and have a statement around it. We, a lot of folks have really liked that part of the report. We're, we want to do that for you, Jillian. Let me ask you, as we think about a theme that pairs maybe more often than others with, with this, with Competition, what is that?
Jillian White:
[9:35] The theme most often to, often to pair with Competition is actually Achiever. I always like to think, with certain strengths, there's themes, when you put them together, they almost amplify one another. And there's other ones that temper, right? What do you think Achiever and Competition do? They amplify each other. That Achiever, I think of as having internal drive. Remember, what's Competition motivated by? External comparison. So you have internal drive and external drive — you got a lot of drive and a lot of pursuit to be the best with that Achiever-Competition pairing inside of someone.
Jim Collison:
[10:11] Let's pull this idea into teams. How would this idea of Theme Dynamics really amplify partnerships and collaboration?
Jillian White:
[10:19] Yeah, let's think both sides of this equation again. Think about, Who do you want to partner with? If you've got high Competition, who's just going to light up that Competition and let you just unleash that pursuit of being the best at something? Other strengths with that same sense of drive. So Achiever, other Competition, Significance, Maximizer, right? That's going to, those are going to spur that drive to win and to be the best, right?
Jillian White:
[10:45] Jim, a fun example around this. I remember in the Chicago office, we did a food drive one year at Christmas time. And we had two teams. And we picked two highly competitive individuals to lead both those teams. And what, what makes Competition raise its game? A worthy competitor. So all of a sudden you saw — choo, choo, choo. And all of a sudden, these teams just took their Competition to a next level. We have never brought in more food than that year. And so, pretty incredible when you think about partnering with somebody who just fuels a little bit of that competitive edge in you.
Jillian White:
[11:20] Flip side of that, I always like to think who's that complementary partner? So, you know, where does Competition need to be aware of where it might get tripped up? I actually have a real example with this one. I was working with a client in the airline industry, getting ready to acquire another airline and going through that process. And I actually did a partnership conversation with the head of the consulting firm leading this integration, as well as the leader of this work within the airline. And what was really interesting to see, one of them was highly competitive and the other one actually had a lot of Relationship Building strengths. And that, to me, was a really good pairing, because they had to figure out how to win in this acquisition, but they also needed to think about how to bring people with them.
Jillian White:
[12:06] So what should Competition partner with that's complementary to it? Think about who you're partnering with that's going to soften that Competition a bit and bring people with you: Includer, Developer, Empathy, Harmony — those are strengths that are going to help bring people with you. Also think about who you want to partner with that makes sure you're winning the game in a fair and ethical way. So maybe Consistency, Responsibility, Belief — those are strengths that might help just really give some guidance on how you're winning.
Jim Collison:
[12:38] I love that section, as we think about the intentional intersections of these themes and how can we be — now, you know, oftentimes on teams, you can't pick and choose the themes that you have. They're there. But I love that intentionality. As you're thinking, as you're talking about that, I'm thinking of, How does that weave through these teams? And I think it's just a great discussion to have among these. Let's talk about leaders specifically, though. How can leaders recognize and harness Competition in their teams and organizations?
Jillian White:
[13:06] Yeah, first of all, look for Competition on your team. These are the people who, they light up when you give a contest. They want to win. They're pushing to be the best on the team. I can actually think of an organization that we're working with that does have a lot of Competition in their sales force. And the leader of that sales force, as they think about leading and collaborating with that group, intentionally thinks about defining winning and having clear metrics to track progress. Those are two things that are going to be incredibly helpful for thinking about leveraging that Competition as a leader of a team.
Jim Collison:
[13:39] What about teams working with high Competition? This is always a challenge, right? Somebody comes in and is part of that team. How can they help the, kind of amplify that in the team effect?
Jillian White:
[13:50] Yeah, you know, I think a little bit of the danger of Competition might be that you become each other's competition. Now, if you are someone who is also highly competitive, that might be good. It could be really healthy, right? But I think what we can help with when we're working with Competition on a team, help define what winning looks like together and who your shared competition is. That will help that really get used in that team context.
Jim Collison:
[14:17] Let's bring it back full circle. Talk about the individual, as we think about, maybe some final thoughts to help the individual who's, because I'm sure they've clicked on the podcast because it said "Competition," and they want to learn more about this. Some final advice for them?
Jillian White:
[14:30] Yes, if you've got high Competition, go back to some of what we talked about that makes great partnerships. We looked at 8 dimensions from our research. One of those key dimensions is having a common mission. We know that's an element of great partnerships. What Competition can bring to this — you can bring a definition of that common mission that shows what winning looks like. And you can help give an understanding of who your competitors are, who you're comparing yourself to, what metrics you need to track to know that you are winning. So bring that to your partnerships. It is a gift to help push people toward that pursuit of excellence, that pursuit of being the best on the team, raise the game, and help celebrate the wins with your partners when you have that strong Competition.
Jim Collison:
[15:18] Love that. Well, with that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we do have available for Competition. If you want to head out there, log in, hit the Resource section, put "Competition" in the search bar. All the webcasts, all the documents, everything we have about it, everything you can learn available for you out there — check that out today. For those of you who are listening live, stay around for a little bit of midshow. If you're listening to the podcast, we might have another one available for you. Just go out there and click on it, and we'll see you in about 3 seconds. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.