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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Fellavaledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode five to eighty six. Let's talk about something

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<v Speaker 2>every leader runs into sooner or later, workplace rivalry. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>not talking about healthy competition that pushes people to sharpen

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<v Speaker 2>their skills. I'm talking about the quiet tention, the scorekeeping,

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<v Speaker 2>the side comments, the unspoken contests that slowly drain energy

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<v Speaker 2>from a team. Rivalry shows up when people feel threatened, overlooked,

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<v Speaker 2>or uncertain about where they stand. It shows up when

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<v Speaker 2>leaders avoid hard conversations and let small frictions turn into

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<v Speaker 2>personal battles. And if you do nothing, rivalry never burns

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<v Speaker 2>itself out. It either explodes or it hardens into resentment.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's another uncomfortable truth. Rivalry is rarely the real problem.

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<v Speaker 2>Leadership avoidance is when leaders fail to set clear standards,

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<v Speaker 2>clear roles, and clear expectations. People fill in the gaps

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<v Speaker 2>with ego and insecurity. They start competing for attention instead

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<v Speaker 2>of results. They compete for influence, instead of impact, and

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<v Speaker 2>once that pattern takes hold, respect starts to erode. So

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<v Speaker 2>how do you turn rivalry into respect without crushing ambition

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<v Speaker 2>or creativity. First, you stop pretending rivalry is invisible. If

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<v Speaker 2>you see tension between two high performers and ignore it,

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<v Speaker 2>you're sending a message, and that message is that results

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<v Speaker 2>matter more than behavior. And once that message is out there,

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<v Speaker 2>you lose control of your culture. Respect starts with naming reality.

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<v Speaker 2>That does not mean calling people out publicly. It means

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<v Speaker 2>having direct, private conversations where you acknowledge what you're seeing

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<v Speaker 2>and explain why it matters. You say things like I

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<v Speaker 2>see competition turning personal and that puts the team at risk.

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<v Speaker 2>Or I see energy being spent sideways instead of forward,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's not acceptable. Here, clarity calms conflict, silence feeds it. Second,

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<v Speaker 2>you redefine what winning actually looks like. Rivalry thrives when

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<v Speaker 2>success is vague. When people don't know what good looks like,

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<v Speaker 2>they create their own scoreboard. Usually that scoreboard measures visibility, credit,

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<v Speaker 2>or proximity to leadership. Great leaders make the win obvious.

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<v Speaker 2>They define success in terms of outcomes, standards, and shared goals.

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<v Speaker 2>They tie recognition to contribution, not personality. They make it

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<v Speaker 2>clear that collaboration is not optional, it is part of

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<v Speaker 2>the job. And when people know how they are evaluated

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<v Speaker 2>and why, they stop trying to outshine each other and

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<v Speaker 2>start trying to outperform yesterday. Third, you force respect through structure,

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<v Speaker 2>not speeches. Respect is not built by motivational talks. It

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<v Speaker 2>is built by how work actually gets done. You pair

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<v Speaker 2>rivals on projects that require interdependence. You rotate ownership so

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<v Speaker 2>no one controls the spotlight permanently. You design processes that

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<v Speaker 2>reward follow through in reliability, not theatrics. When people are

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<v Speaker 2>required to rely on each other to succeed, respect has

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<v Speaker 2>a chance to grow. When they only interact during moments

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<v Speaker 2>of friction. Rivalry deepens. Structure shapes behavior, behavior shapes culture. Fourth,

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<v Speaker 2>you hold the line on professionalism every single time. And

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<v Speaker 2>here's where many leaders stumble. They excuse bad behavior from

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<v Speaker 2>top performers because they're afraid to lose them. That fear

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<v Speaker 2>is expensive. The moment you tolerate eye rolling, undermining comments,

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<v Speaker 2>or passive aggressive moves, you tell the rest of the

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<v Speaker 2>team that respect is optional. High performers watch this closely,

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<v Speaker 2>so do average performers, and so do future leaders. Professionalism

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<v Speaker 2>is not about being polite, It's about being reliable, direct,

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<v Speaker 2>and accountable. When you enforce those standards consistently, rivalry loses oxygen.

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<v Speaker 2>People can compete hard and still respect the rules. They

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<v Speaker 2>can disagree without being disrespectful, but only if the leader

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<v Speaker 2>makes that non negotiable. Fifth, you model respect when it's inconvenient.

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<v Speaker 2>Your team watches how you talk about people who are

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<v Speaker 2>not in the room. They watch how you handle disagreement.

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<v Speaker 2>They watch how you give credit and how you assign blame.

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<v Speaker 2>If you play favorites, people compete for favor If you

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<v Speaker 2>vent upward or sideways, people mirror that. If you stay steady, fair,

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<v Speaker 2>and consistent, respect becomes the norm. Leadership credibility is built

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<v Speaker 2>in small moments, not big announcement. Now here's the part

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<v Speaker 2>most leaders miss. Sometimes rivalry is a signal, not a flaw.

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<v Speaker 2>It can mean you have talented people who care deeply

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<v Speaker 2>about their work. It can mean ambition is alive. Your

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<v Speaker 2>job is not to eliminate that energy. Your job is

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<v Speaker 2>to aim it. When rivalry is guided by clear expectations,

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<v Speaker 2>strong standards, and mutual accountability, it can turn into mutual respect.

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<v Speaker 2>People push each other to be better without tearing each

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<v Speaker 2>other down. They compete with the work, not with the person.

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<v Speaker 2>That is where teams get dangerous in a good way.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you are dealing with rivalry right now, do

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<v Speaker 2>not panic and do not ignore it. Make sure that

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<v Speaker 2>you just step into it with clarity. Define the win

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<v Speaker 2>for everybody. Build structure that forces mutual collaboration. Make sure

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<v Speaker 2>you enforce professionalism and model the respect you expect to see.

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<v Speaker 2>Rivalry unmanaged will divide your team. Rivalry lead can sharpen

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<v Speaker 2>it well. This has been the seven minute Leadership podcast

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<v Speaker 2>and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com