Pro-active Behaviour and its Benefits

Pro-active behaviour is more important in today’s ‘live and let die’ scenario for both individual and organizational effectiveness.

Why should you be proactive?

In this highly competitive and stressful workplace, it is not possible to clearly specify activities or give detailed instructions to employees. Present day organizations increasingly expect employees to demonstrate Proactivity. Hence one has to be proactive and anticipate what needs to be done. Otherwise, you tend to be ineffective and you will be left behind the competition.

Let me give an example of a situation from your work-life:
You just finished your project. You have done well and relaxing, waiting for a new assignment. It may take a week or may be more. People are aware that you just finished a job well.
But your pro-active colleague is not basking in the success of his previous assignment. Instead, he already dug out some details of a juicy assignment and approached the boss. It is a competitive world. Relaxing for a few days after a satisfactory assignment is not a crime. But, you need to run and run fast. Otherwise you will be left behind.

Proactivity is a success path- success through improved performance. It avoids many 'fire fighting' situations as it prevents 'fire'.

If you are not proactive, you lose interest in life.

There were days when I felt bored and wondered:
'What is the meaning of this life? Get up, go to work, come back home, eat and sleep. Same thing tomorrow… and the next day…Is this all there is to life?'

With such outlook, life becomes tedious and meaningless. You dread to face the day.

Instead, ask yourself: 'What meaning can I give to my life? What do I want? What are my goals? What am I doing to reach those goals?' This is proactivity.
With this, you get the energy and enthusiasm to welcome the day. You will find every day worth living for and you can accomplish a lot.

Financially too, you can be proactive and plan well ahead. Financial strength is equally important in your Self Improvement

Planning your daily activities reduces your work load and saves a lot of time.

Do not wait for opportunities to come and take you along (if you are in a reactive frame of mind, you may not even notice when the opportunity had come and gone). Create opportunities and modify situations to take you to your goals. This is proactivity.

What is not proactivity?

But there are exceptions- actions that are self initiated but can’t be called proactive. Actions that are intended to benefit only self and are not beneficial/harmful to others or the organization. Such selfish actions are not called proactive.

In an organization, as a leader or a manager, you should be able to identify genuine pro-active personality. Anything done with ulterior motive, either to get favourable assessment or gain material benefits, is not proactivity and should not be encouraged.

Proactivity Examples

How do you stimulate Proactive Attitude?

How you can be Proactive at Workplace?

Return From Benefits of Pro-active Behaviour to Proactivity

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