Independent Exercise
Now that you have a basic understanding of what it means to be reactive v. proactive, it’s time to take an assessment of where you are in the spectrum. Take 10 minutes now to download and complete the activity before returning to the rest of the course.
Download Proactive or Reactive Self Reflection Activity.pdf
Download and complete the activity in the PDF document above, and then continue below when you are finished.
Results Analysis
If you spotted a tendency towards a reactive approach in your self-test you may wonder how to shift to more proactive habits.
-
Review a past problem.. What did you do and how did it turn out? Try to look at it as you perceived it before. Was the problem unexpected? If so, be honest with yourself whether there were any warning signs the problem was coming. How would proactivity have made a difference? Walk yourself through the situation from start to finish from your first awareness to reaching a point of resolution if the problem has been resolved. With hindsight, you can see all the elements more clearly. You have more information after the fact but you can learn from how you gathered that information and put it to use proactively next time.
-
Ask a friend or family member to share a goal they have. When you use another person’s goal you can focus on the process with more distance. Brainstorm with that person what problems they may encounter and how they might resolve them. Turn it around and ask what opportunities they foresee that can lead to progress. How can your friend apply proactive action to maximize their opportunity?
-
Learn to focus more on the future. This means making the effort to identify something in your life – either positive or negative – that may occur in your future. It can be a personal goal or fear. It can be small or ambitious. To practice proactive thinking, imagine that the future occurrence has already happened. What was going on just before it happened? What about before that? Walk the scenario all the way back to where you are now. If the scenario occurred next week would you be ready for it? What are some actions steps that you can take that will help you either optimize the positive outcomes and/or mitigate the negative ones?
-
Take responsibility for your success. Frame your objectives based on what you can do, not what others can do for you or what they may be able to do to obstruct you. This does not mean that to be proactive, you cannot enlist the support of others. On the contrary, garnering the help of friends, family and colleagues is often a fundamental component of being proactive. The difference is that you are not depending on others or expecting others to realize your objectives for you. You must be the one who lights the fuse to keep the sparks of your life moving forward.
-
Set priorities and follow them. This can be tough to do in an environment with rapid change. However, if stick to your goals and self-expectations consistently then achieving your priority goals will follow suit.Proactivity requires two things: clarity and discipline. Clarity in knowing what your priorities are and what steps can be taken to make them happen and discipline in carrying out those steps.There are two factors to consider here. From an external context, the degree to which you have (or believe you have) the autonomy and freedom to make decisions and take actions on those decisions is directly correlated with your willingness to set and follow priorities.The degree to which you are encouraged to set and strive after your goals directly affects your internal context. A person who is given autonomy will ultimately build confidence as they are entrusted to act proactively and responsibly. The more you can demonstrate success, the greater your confidence and incentive to be proactive grows, both internally and externally.
