JANUARY 14, 2022
BE PROACTIVE
Last week we mentioned the concept of being “Proactive” or “Reactive.” Being proactive; is commonly thought of as taking action and making things happen. Being reactive is; the handling of action that takes place. Which one is most prominent in your life? Well of course we all react to our circumstances the best we know how. Hopefully, you can find out what is most important to you and give that your immediate attention. (Those things that are urgent and important) Do you lean one way or another? Are your choices reactive or proactive for a larger good?
John Maxwell reminds us; “I believe that everyone chooses how to approach life.” (Just the freedom we are given in this great country) “If you’re proactive, you focus on preparing. (Our futuristic strategists in the group) If you are too reactive, (Our deliberative analytics) you end up focusing on repairing.” Being the “Leadership” guru, Maxwell has written numerous books on Leadership that may bring an exciting new perspective for you. Proactive leaders focus on strategizing how a team will reach their objectives while reactive leaders focus on problems and how to fix them as they surface. Proactive leadership is planning for or handling obstacles as they may arise; and most often do. Reactive leadership is always responding to something that they had yet to anticipate. (Not seeing the Big Picture) In Stephen Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” Covey’s first habit is to “Be Proactive.” If you want to be more proactive, you may want to think about it and practice it every day. That means you need to get yourself prepared.
Proactive leaders plan for different contingencies which enables them to be prepared with a plan of action. Proactive leaders tend to be more “coaching” in nature rather than “Telling” or dictatorial in nature. Proactive leaders are responsible for their own lives AND the lives of their team where reactive leaders tend to be more task-oriented and in it for themselves vs. focused on the end result of the team. (Remember to begin with the end in mind which is Covey’s #2 Habit) Proactive leaders may gain more respect from their team in allowing them to take initiative for results of the team. Since reactive leaders tend to focus on tasks, they look to find “independent problems” and aim to provide fixes for them. Don’t we have enough problems in our organizations without the leader adding to more problems just to make themselves look like a winner? Do you know any leader that operates this way? This does not display great leadership. Just more confusion and unfortunately often intentional.
Here are a few ways to become more proactive rather than reactive:
- Think long term; See the big picture through a Shared-Vision.
- Seek to understand others; By getting to know your team better, you will gain insight in how to influence them. Don’t judge them. Seek to understand them first. (Covey’s Habit #5)
- Develop Organizational skills; If you are aiming high, wasting time is not an option to good leaders.
- Aim for 80/20. The 80/20 rule applies in most of life’s situations. We often do our best work on important tasks rather than urgent tasks. Don’t just try to look busy. Set standards but set them high enough to challenge the team. Be valuable to your team.
- Be open to ideas; Two heads are always better than one. Yes, you have to make the final decision but include others in the decision-making process.
- Have a calm demeanor; Leaders should define what their culture will be. (Shared Vision) Proactive leaders are calm, direct, fair, hopeful, thoughtful, straightforward, loyal, and full of integrity. Remember; Anger is NOT an attractive quality.
Are you Proactive or Reactive? Try being more proactive by setting a shared vision, think of others first, help your team learn from their mistakes by being gracious, and give up a “controlling” nature as it will and should always yield to the best outcomes. You may make a few mistakes along the way. Own them but when you gain positive momentum, be quick to give credit where credit is due. Remember, it is not about you anyway.
Elevator Guy
Quote for the Day; “Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, by their environment. Proactive people are driven by values…… carefully thought about, selected and internalized values.” Stephen Covey