According to an old adage, there are three kind of people in this world - those who can count, and those who can't. According to Professor Sharon Parker (Winthrop Professor, Business School at University of Western Australia; and Honorary Professor at University of Sheffield), there are also three kinds of people in this world - those that make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who wonder what happened.
I know which one I'd like to be more of the time (the self-starter!*).
What enables us to be proactive? Why is it seemingly easier for some people than for others? Professor Parker shared some interesting insights about this at an international coaching conference in late 2014.
It seems that in the workplace, proactive individuals have three motivators in common:
1. "Can do" - they believe they can perform the task at hand
2. "Reason to" - they want to undertake the task in front of them because they expect they will enjoy it, they are fascinated by it, they think it is important and valuable, and they believe it is their responsibility to complete it
3. "Energised to" - they generally feel good, inspired, enthusiastic and engaged
What can enable us, and our teams, to be more proactive at work? Creating opportunities for job enrichment (autonomy, variety and challenge), job crafting (shaping meaningful and fulfilling roles for individuals by changing how work is conceptualised and carried out), focusing on what is within our control versus things that we do not have influence over, and visioning exercises (creating a clear and elaborate vision of our future selves and where we are headed) have all been suggested to help.
When was the last time you were motivated to do something proactively? What led you to use your initiative? How did you overcome any difficulties along the way and still persist to achieve your goal? What can you take from your reflections to help you work towards your goals for 2015?
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle
*(Self disclosure: This blog has taken me several attempts and quite a bit of procrastination. Stay tuned for a future post on perfectionist tendencies, another topic closer to my heart.)
