Compete vs. Support

When it comes to competitiveness, ambition, and the drive to be the best, one size does not fit all.

Not even close:

Know your team—especially who your supporting players are and who your go-getters are—and either find roles for them where they can excel, or make the decision to hire only one group or the other and build a culture around either extreme.

But mixing things up—say, by keeping your competitors in the dark as to where they stand, or forcing your friendlies to compete, or trying to play to the middle—will cost your best performers in short order.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.