When I had my first interview with Co-Communications, Account Manager Danielle Cyr, looked me straight in the eye with an icy glare and said: “We are not competitive here. Are you competitive?”
After I almost wet myself out of sheer fear of Danielle (we are best buds now, don’t worry!), I thought “yeah, I am competitive! I used to dance, horseback ride, play the violin, compete in pageants. I love competition.”
Danielle went on to further explain. She had seen the ugly-side of competitive at other jobs. She had seen cutthroat, death-stare, whispering behind backs competition.
With any job, one needs serious drive. One needs to want the prize. One needs to succeed! But it is my firm belief that at any point such drive leads you to hamper a colleague’s success then you’ve gone too far. Karma’s . . . well, you know.
At Co-Communications, we have a staff of ten. I know at any point I can call Kelly to review a media list I’ve done in an area she covers heavily. I know I can shoot an e-mail to Stacey asking about a client concern. My favorite; I can scream like a little girl and Jess will come running in to kill the spider on my desk. It is in this environment I know I thrive. And I will always reciprocate (as long as it doesn’t involve killing a bug.)
At a firm where you know your colleagues have your back and want to see you succeed for the better of the entire company, often times said success is achieved. Your co-worker in the office next-door went to college and still keeps in touch with the producer at a news station a client is trying to get on. Can you ask about it? Does your company culture dictate that it’s ok for you to ask him or her for a favor with that producer?
I know I’ve seen my co-workers and I land some fantastic media placements and achieve streamlined productivity because of the helpful and team-focused nature we have. I’m not saying bend over backwards and allow a co-worker to walk all over you like a doormat. But you must find a mutual respect and balance when helping one another out. Never forget to return the favor!
Do you have any great anecdotes about how your firm/company succeeded because of selfless team work? Or any failed campaigns or tasks because of “ugly competitiveness” (uh, hi, Erin vs. Olivia). How can we strive to help our teams when this “ugly” rears its head?
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