Stop Competing with the Wrong People: The Productivity Trap You Didn’t See Coming

Many professionals waste energy competing with teammates instead of building strategic alliances that boost collective performance. By understanding your dominant working style and partnering with those who complement your gaps, you can unlock true synergy and accelerate results.

Author

Wilson Obeneme
July 25, 2025

In the pursuit of high performance, one of the most common and costly mistakes I see people make is this:

They compete with everyone, including the very people designed to help them win.

This isn't just counterproductive. It's destructive.

Especially in traditional corporate structures, which are often modelled like pyramids with limited space at the top, it's easy to fall into a scarcity mindset.

This has led to wars, guarded communication, and a toxic undercurrent of mistrust that erodes team synergy.

Most people end up wasting their energy defending territory when they should be building alliances.

Healthy Competition vs. Internal Rivalry

There’s a big difference between healthy competition and internal rivalry.
Research in organizational psychology confirms that Healthy competition improves engagement, promotes innovation, and sharpens performance.

However internal rivalry or competition, when misdirected, leads to poor collaboration, siloed teams, and decision fatigue.

Unfortunately, many professionals never learn the difference or how to shift gears. They gradually become resentful, anxious, demotivated and ultimately underproductive.

I chose early in my career to opt out of that zero-sum mindset. I hope you do too.

The Four Archetypes of Team Dynamics

Years ago, I attended a leadership workshop that reshaped how I think about team synergy. It introduced a model that’s stuck with me ever since. According to the facilitators, most high-performing teams consist of a mix of four working styles:

  1. The Chess Players – Strategic visionaries. They excel at systems thinking, forecasting, and high-level planning. But execution may not be their strong suit.

  2. The Rowers – Loyal collaborators. They thrive in collective environments and are essential to sustaining team morale and momentum. Rarely the loudest, but often the glue.

  1. The Boxers – Fast-action executors. They make decisions quickly and move with intensity. Great for momentum, but they sometimes miss the bigger view.

  2. The Archers – Deliberate planners. They value precision, research, and preparation. Their thoroughness is a gift — unless it slows critical decisions.

Each style brings distinct value. And here’s the key insight:

Sustainable performance doesn’t come from doing everything yourself.
It comes from understanding your dominant strength — and intentionally partnering with those who complement your blind spots.

Know Your Style. Build for Synergy.

I’m a more of Boxer and then an Archer. I move fast, test fast, and adjust fast.

So I’ve learned to surround myself with Chess Players and Rowers — the big-picture thinkers and team players who sharpen my foresight and help me avoid costly detours.

This is what real collaboration looks like:
Not just working together, but working with strategic interdependence.

That’s the smarter move:
Not competition. Synergy.

Reflection Prompt for You:

Which of these four archetypes do you lead with?

And more importantly — who do you need more of on your team right now?

Feel free to reply to this email.
Example: Boxer + Rower

Have a productive weekend ahead.