A comparison feels different when you name what each person was trying to accomplish.

Two efforts only compete if they were aiming at the same thing. One person wanted the work finished by Thursday, another wanted it to be beautiful, a third wanted everyone still on speaking terms at the end. Judged against a goal they never held, somebody always looks careless or slow. Naming the aim first turns a ranking back into a description.

Before you rate your work against somebody else’s, say plainly what each of you was for. Do it out loud when a team is comparing itself. Half of what looks like a difference in ability is a difference in what was being attempted.