1. THURSDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2010
Being proactive leads to success in your workplace, in
business and with life
What is meant by proactive?
Being proactive according to Wikipedia, proactive is “Proactive behaviour involves acting in
advance of a future situation, rather than just reacting. It means taking control and making
things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen.
Proactive employees generally do not need to be asked to act, nor do they require detailed
instructions.”
Stephen Covey also suggests that being proactive needs to come within, it is not taught or
purchased but you must have the desire to be proactive and take control over your own
destiny. You need to take responsibility for where you are now and where you want to be.
I am positive, never negative. I am proactive, aren’t I?
Free yourself from your own chains
Have you ever been in a traffic jam and said this is unfair?
Have you ever been in a meeting where the outcome is not what you wanted?
Have you ever complained about how your life turned out?
Have you ever been envious of someone else or jealous that they got a job ahead of you?
I know that I have and these are all systematic signs of being reactive. Someone else did
this to you; because of someone else, your life is not so great.
Determinism in the words of Wikipedia "determinism" is the name of a broader philosophical
view that conjectures that every type of event, including human cognition (behaviour,
2. decision, and action) is causally determined by previous events. In philosophical arguments,
the concept of determinism in the domain of human action is often contrasted with free will.
The argument called indeterminism (otherwise "nondeterminism") negates causality as a
factor and contradicts deterministic argument.”
OK, so how do I become proactive?
This is rather simple but mentally and emotionally very challenging. Be responsible for
everything that happens to you and rather than blame someone else, which is easy right?
Use your newfound proactive ability and find out what you could have done differently to
make your life better, in your vision.
It is important not to get caught up with what other people think about your life; after all, it is
not their life is it? Be sure that you kno
w what you want in life. The success to life is knowing what you want, believe that it is
possible and then going out there and giving it your best shot.
So, whats next?
The best way to stay committed is to write it down. Have you ever been in a situation where
you have agreed actions with others but forgot or they have not deliver the agreed actions?
How did that make you feel?
Writing your vision is a form of commitment, after all if you pass on an agenda and actions
from the last meeting, how will people feel if they have not delivered their requirement when
it is there in black and white?
3. What use is a mission statement if no one can see it? Have you ever made New Year’s
resolutions and folded the piece of paper in your diary, never to resurface again? Ever
wondered why you never achieved your set goals?
If the vision is hidden, it cannot talk to your consciousness of making it happen. Make sure
that your goals are on paper and make sure you tell others all about it, so that even more
commitment is ensured.
Remember be proactive is not doing everything on your own. There are always people
willing to help and be supportive. So, be proactive and ask. Don’t worry about what they will
say; it is not a sign of weakness.
All of tomorrow’s success is in your hands, not someone else’s
Here are some videos for you to watch...
Stephen Covey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8LM4C1l70U
NLP techniques
http://bit.ly/abQ9GW
Here is a presentation on being proactive and the 7 habits of highly effective people
http://slidesha.re/bPaznm
Simon Misiewicz
Programme / Change Management
Optimise-GB Limited
simon@optimise-gb.com
