A competitive spirit has its place in the office. It can be a positive force
that pushes you to do your best work, thereby strengthening your company and
increasing your job security and potential rewards.

Some people, however, become possessed with the competitive spirit. They
begin to view work as a zero-sum game and coworkers as obstacles to their
advancement. At this point, when a coworker is willing to step on your head to
reach his goals, competition becomes negative.

There isn't much you can do to change the behavior of hyper-competitive
coworkers. But, you can take steps to neutralize them and protect
yourself.

Don't let an overly competitive coworker draw your attention away from your
job. Focus on doing solid work and continuously improving – not on besting a
particular colleague. Simply put: Don't compete – except against yourself. Use
your past performance to set future goals and work towards those results. You're
more likely to succeed if you focus on the positive goal of continual
self-improvement, rather than the negative goal of outdoing someone
else.

Work to build and maintain strong, professional relationships with other
colleagues. Again, don't focus on the overly competitive coworker. Instead, put
energy into gaining respect in the workplace and becoming a well-regarded and
valuable member of the team overall: Deliver on commitments; praise others;
accept constructive criticism; collaborate well; and be a positive presence.
Work toward virtuous goals and leave the negativity of the hyper-competitive
coworker behind.

Try to get an overly competitive coworker to start viewing you more as a
collaborator than a rival. When the coworker in question does something well,
casually recognize it during a meeting with a quick compliment. Ask for his
advice on a project you're working on – and if he provides a useful suggestion
give him credit when appropriate. If you try these methods, however, and he
isn't receptive, just leave it alone. Maybe he's just too far gone into his
competitiveness.

Sometimes taking steps, such as those mentioned above, to neutralize an
overly competitive coworker just aren't enough. Blatant attacks against you or
your work – and attempts to steal ideas and credit from you – must be answered.
Before you go to the boss, however, be sure that the violation is serious enough
to warrant such action. You don't want to be a tattletale. And when you do talk
to your boss, keep it professional, be specific and be able to support your
position. Don't get personal; don't whine; and don't gripe.

Take a look around your workplace. How many of your colleagues would you
describe as overly competitive? If the number is high, there may be bigger
forces at work. An abundance of hyper-competitive coworkers could be an
indication that there is a workplace culture - either encouraged or ignored by
those in charge - that creates and fosters that behavior. If that's the case,
and you are unhappy with the situation, it may be time to think about looking
for a new job with a company that has a culture more appealing to
you.