Situation: A CEO has built a company which is very collegial. She is interested in adding an element of friendly competition within the company. Would it be destructive to add an aspect of competition to the mix? How do you balance competitive and collegial behavior within the team?

Advice from the CEOs:

• This can be achieved by focusing on recognition, and encouraging recognition of each other among the team members.
• One example is to have traveling trophies.
  • One trophy could be circulated on a periodic basis based on measurable criteria. Examples include new client acquisition, increases in revenue, or increases in savings by improving processes. There are many positive achievements that can be recognized.
  • A second trophy could be awarded for “assists”. Examples include one team member helping another to land new accounts, a team of employees developing a cost-saving improvement to process, and developing a new accounting technique that saves the company money.
  • A third trophy could be awarded to one team member for a job well done, and then awarded by that member to another member for another job well done, and so on.
• To add to the collegiality, some of the trophies can be passed around spontaneously for on-the-spot recognition. Others can be awarded on a scheduled basis such as annual or quarterly employee or company meetings. Mix it up and be sure to make it fun!

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