Proactivity Examples

Read this wonderful quote before going to proactivity examples:

'While one person hesitates because he feels inferior,the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.'
-Henry C. Link

Anticipate and help colleagues before being asked.

During the early days of my managerial position, a second team of engineers was attached to me in addition to my own. In that new team, I had a very proactive engineer- let me call her Smiley. It was not her real name but an appropriate one.

Smiley had that extra bounce in her movements and enthusiasm in her face that showed her commitment and motivation for anything she did- her own work or the work of others. Everybody liked her. She was happy to contribute something in others' work too. I should say she was over doing the ‘helping others’ part.
A few of her colleagues took advantage of it and dumped some of their petty jobs on her.
I had to make her aware of what was happening when she started slipping in her work because of her helping nature. She was wise enough to see the facts and corrected herself quickly.
There were many instances when she came early to work to solve some technical problems. She once told me that she couldn’t wait for the dawn, when she got a new idea to implement or had an unsolved problem to attend. Such was her dedication and proactivity. She always stands to be one of my top five proactivity examples.

My Proactive colleague, Mr.George

Then, there was a colleague of mine, let me call him, Mr.George. George was in system engineering and I was in design. His responsibility was to integrate different subsystems from different design groups into a complete working system, install and test at customer’s site and hand it over. It needs effective and efficient coordination.
In such a situation where coordinated effort is required, people tend to blame each other and work suffers and delays occur.
George rarely complained about the inactivity of a particular design group. Anyone else in his position would have blamed one or the other in case of any delay. But not George.
He was very proactive. He attended training sessions and understood all that needed to know to integrate and make the system work. He had the complete control of any situation as far as the system was concerned.
In that process, sometimes he made a few mistakes and got rebuke. George didn’t mind. He didn’t change his ways because, he knew that ‘it is the right way’ and ‘you can’t move unless you stick your neck out’. Others also knew his invaluable contribution to the organization and didn’t mind a few small slip ups.
He was the right proactivity example who did what he thought good for himself and for the organization.

I did my job. The other man did not do his

Once one of my engineers complained about an item to be used in one of the designs- “I gave requisition to ‘purchase group’ two weeks back for procuring this item. It is still pending from them. What can I do?”
He had a valid excuse for not completing the job. Many of us do it. He had done his job: told the people concerned to buy it. Buying an item was outside his area of work. So he was sitting pretty with a valid excuse.
In such situations, did you ever ask yourself:

• What are my options?
• Did they slip up?
• Is there a possibility that my requisition is lying unattended?
• Do I need to follow up with them? From where are they purchasing? Can I talk to the vendor directly and impress upon them the urgency?
• Up to what extent can I test my design without this item?

The proactive little girl

After knowing about proactivity and how to be proactive, I recollect so many incidents of proactive behaviour.
When I was in college, I saw a little school girl in proactive action. An old man wanted directions for a nearby eye hospital. I gave-
‘It is on the other side of the road. Go straight and take the first left turn. It is the third building.’
But this little girl came forward and took hold of the old man’s hand, saying-
‘Uncle, it is difficult to cross the road. Come, I will take you there.’
That was a wonderful proactivity example.

My Proactive Engineer

Imagine this: Every year, you take 20 days off from work to visit your native place. It is always in April since your child finishes his/her exams and summer vacation starts. So you normally book your train tickets well in advance.
It so happened on one occasion, the project you were working on, got sudden priority and your presence was required. However, your boss was very considerate, ‘You carry on. I will manage.’
What will you do? You did one of the two:

1. You told, 'Thank you so much boss. You are very understanding.’ And went on your vacation.
2. You went and talked to your family and came back, ‘I have cancelled this trip boss. Let me see through this project. I will plan my vacation after this.’

The second one is proactivity.

Why should you cancel a pre-planned trip for which you and your family were eagerly waiting for one year, especially, when your boss gave permission?
Didn't you don’t want others to work on that project?
Were you afraid that somebody else would take credit for completing it?

May be true. What is wrong in it? If your act is selfish and harmful to others or the organization, it can’t be called proactive. But the second act is definitely proactive.

The proactivity example given above is not a hypothetical one. The proactive behaviour described was from one of my engineers.

Proactive Leader

When I was in the middle management level, one of my colleagues resigned from the company. He was a good leader and manager. Even on the last day in the company, he spent a lot of time with his junior who was supposed to take over from him. We rarely see a person, even a good manager, so much attached to his team even on the last day in the organization.
When I casually remarked about that, he said-
‘I love my work and love this company. I resigned because of my other goals. I want to make sure there is no unfilled gap when I leave. No one should feel my absence as far as work is concerned. I will be very happy and proud if people feel that I groomed my junior well.’

Well, Don't you think it was a good proactivity example?
His actions were focused on the welfare of the company. If he gets appreciation as a by product, it is well and good.

Think and act proactive. It may not give results in all 100 out of 100 situations. But, rest assured, you will be surprised at the success rate. Be persistent until you get results. Next time I like to quote you as my latest Proactivity example.

What are the benefits of Proactive behaviour?

How do you stimulate Proactive Attitude?

How you can be Proactive at Workplace?

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