Audi’s “Separation” commercial, starts with an Audi A4 showered with letters, which perhaps represent glowing praise. Suddenly we see a Mercedes C300 and a BMW 328 roll onto the scene, as the words “Slower. Smaller, Less fuel efficient”, float above. The ad ends with Audi racing over the finish line as the biggest, fastest most fuel efficient car in its class and the caption “Progress is Beautiful”.

When a new employee joins the ranks, we are either aware of their imminent arrival or caught off-guard. If it is the latter, thought of how you stack up may plague your mind. Days after the Olympics, we recognize a little bit of competition is healthy. But how far do you go? In a recent survey by OfficeTeam, 46% of senior executives with large corporations said they believe employees are more competitive with each other today than they were 10 years ago. According to David Willmer of OfficeTeam, “in an uncertain economy, people grow more concerned about their job security and proving their worth to their employers.”

Despite its title, this commercial does little to separate Audi, it focuses on potential similarities; does not attempt to differentiate itself, instead it creates a spotlight for BMW and Mercedes; leaving the audience to figure out which one is the best car for them. When a new co-worker joins the ranks, here are 3 considerations to factor into your approach to quickly onboard your colleague and tap into synergies:

1. Focus on yourself – What makes you successful? What are you known for?
2. Collaborate – Get to know your co-worker. Look for ways to work together effectively. Determine how you will work together. Mirror the ideals that you expect in return, if you want to establish trust quickly, be trustworthy. Act as a resource, if they are new to the company educate them on the cultural norms.
3. Be collective – Rather than think about how you fair in comparison, think about the role you could play in their success and ultimately that of your company.

If you feel threatened by a newcomer, get to the root of what are you fearful of. Gather information to allay your fears. Look at this as an opportunity to raise your bar. Identify areas in which you can improve in the next 3-6 months. Work with a coach, mentor or co-worker to hold you to your development plan.

Tags: Collaboration, Competition, new co-worker, office rivalry

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 9:24 am and is filed under Leadership Effectiveness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.