The illustrious sahaba (companions of the Prophet), may Allah be pleased with all of them, competed in righteousness. They did not compete for the largest house or the biggest family. They competed, among other things, for the honour of guard ingthe Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) in battle.
They divided into tribes and competed with other tribes. The amirs, too, competed with each other. For example, in the campaign in Ash-Sham, the two armies competed–who could be the fastest to fight their way to the key city? The winner would command both tribes. And when they compete, they all raised the standards.
They applied this several times, in several battles. In the battle of Al-Bowaib, the Muslims spread themselves among the fortress they defended, each tribe to a region. The battle began, and the kuffar broke through one area. Am-Mutahana, the general, moved to higher ground and spotted the breakthrough–at the location of Bani ‘Ijar.
He sent Bani ‘Ijar a message: “Don’t expose the Muslims today.” Bani ‘Ijar responded to the challenge, and ascended to a new level. They overcame the enemy, beat them back, and turned the battle into a victory.
Apply this to your work, and inshaAllah the quality will skyrocket. One MSA tapped this technique for a fundraising project. Their sponsorship jumped from two professers one year, to 90 the next.
Wallahu ‘alim.
Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.