Initiative is a trait that all successful Entrepreneurs and upper managers possess, and it is an essential characteristic to excelling in life. Initiative is what drives the movers & shakers of this world, and if you possess even a little more initiative than the average person, you will accomplish much more than you ever dreamed imaginable.

Perhaps you’ve had a boss tell you that you need to take more initiative at your job, or maybe your parents told you that you needed to take more initiative with your homework, when you were younger. In any case, we automatically feel threatened by the comment, and usually we make it to mean someone thinks we’re lazy or maybe stupid. The fact is, we are all motivated by something – to get someone to take initiative is to work with what motivated them. All great leaders know this about human nature.

Like outstanding Customer Service skills, Initiative is something people either have or they don’t: my wife did something for her boss before she was even hired and he said “You can’t buy initiative like that!” Initiative is a word found on every resume, and everyone claims to have it, but very few people actually live it. People who have these instincts just seem to navigate through certain situations with ease, like a foo-foo dust has sprinkled on them and they just know how to charm others and seize opportunities.

Roget’s Thesaurus lists Initiative as: An aggressive readiness along with energy (drive) to undertake taxing efforts. Synonyms: enterprise, hustle, punch.

If you don’t have initiative, your employees won’t either, because the speed of the group is determined by the speed of the leader (John Maxwell’s “The Law of the Lid”). Stop expecting it to come from others, and take the darn initiative to develop it yourself. If you want to learn how to develop initiative, start by reading the short book: “The Go-Getter,” and work for someone who has an aggressive, creative drive to excel, It may eventually become instinctive to you too.

Larry Winget is a staunch supporter of entrepreneurial initiative. When he was asked what an employee could do to be successful (which also applies to business owners) he replied: “Do what ya say you’re gonna do, when ya say you’re gonna do it, for the amount ya say you’re gonna do it for.” Follow this strategy, and customers will remember how you treated them with such integrity, and they will trust you with repeat business. This demonstrated a responsibility that is unparalleled in business today.

Some examples of taking initiative are:
1)    Starting a group at your work or in your community to improve a situation or offer support
2)    Recognizing and capitalizing on opportunities as they arise rather than procrastinating.
3)    Anticipating & preparing for changes rather than allowing things to happen to you.
4)    Suggesting & implementing new ideas or projects that will improve the outcome of circumstances that do not necessarily benefit you directly.
5)    Contacting a person you have had a strained relationship with for the purpose of improving the communication and dealing with the situation for mutual benefit.

Examples like these demonstrate that you have a mind of your own and do not wait around to receive orders. You see something that needs doing and you do it without being asked (like a husband who does the dishes and takes out the garbage without waiting for his wife’s prompting). The outcome is a direct result of your taking ACTION. Initiative does not refer to the first person who THOUGHT of a better mousetrap, but the person who actually built it and sold it -took ACTION on it.

You see a problem. You fix it – without waiting for orders from someone above you. Or, if you do not have the authority to make the changes directly, you present the ideas to your superiors and offer to assist in implementing the improvements. Even if the proper steps were not taken, you still may be recognized for having had initiative. Business Leaders get excited about those they see having this trait, and there Is no faster way to be considered for a promotion than by demonstrating a consistent ability to recognize new opportunities. Don’t freak out if your ideas are stolen from time to time- a person showing consistent initiative will eventually become known as having this ability.

In organizations that are heavily bureaucratic, initiative may be something that is resisted because it may involve changes that cause discomfort or fear in others. If you face a consistent resistance to your initiative, it may be a sign that your ideas may need some fine tuning, or the way they are presented, or it may be a sign for you to move on to bigger and better things. It feels better to have your ideas accepted which is why so many people with initiative just decide to go it alone in their own business where customers will appreciate this rare ability. Go-getters would rather be creative than try to move a corporate rolling stone with too much momentum heading in the wrong direction. If you feel like this could be you, what are you waiting for? Take initiative and start your own business today!

How you treat your customers WILL not only be your trademark, but it will also determine if your company will survive the 95% failure rate of business within the first 5 years. Starting Immediately is the only way you’ll get an edge on your competition. We have all had the experience of atrocious customer service, and we know it isn’t fun, but how many of your customers have felt that way about you?

Outstanding Customer Service is all about COMMON SENSE & COMMON COURTESY (which isn’t so common any more). I am always amazed at how many companies will have a completely apathetic person at the end of the phone taking calls from customers who already aren’t happy, but usually just succeed in pissing them off further. It makes you want to reach through the phone and shake them. Its a great opportunity to turn an irate customer into a repeat customer, but as long as companies are willing to hire anyone, they will continue to lose business to the competition. I see this with a lot of large companies who are just trying to fill the roll at the cheapest cost.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of mega-corps are outsourcing their customer service to India. It obviously pays for them to do this, but again I have observed the challenges that this can also create. It is frustrating to call in to a company and get a different customer service person every time you call and have to explain your situation all over again. If someone makes an exception for you, the next time you call in, the new person will just refer to the company policy which states: “You can’t do that!” Poor service is also all to common with government agencies & monopolies. That’s another reason why I hate unions too! Where we live north of Toronto, if our garbage & recycling isn’t in the exact specifications that they state in their “POLICY”, they will just leave it there. How pathetic!! It exemplifies how most people are more interested in being lazy than in being a contributor to society (common sense not so common).

When we finally run into someone who’s providing us with outstanding service, we want to stay on and keep talking to them, because its so refreshing. It brightens our day. Treat every customer as if they are your ONLY customer and they will come back for more because you have met some of their basic human needs – the need to be heard (the need to be right), appreciated and respected. If you check out our eBay feedback (ID:adventurecapitalism), people were stunned by how much we cared, and some even said “overwhelmed” by the level of service, speed, & product quality they received. Why did we do that? Because we treated people how we would want to be treated. That simple. Period. Its not rocket science, but common sense is something you either have or you don’t.

If you intend on growing your small business, I URGE you to read Blair Singer’s “The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins® – The Invisible Code of Honor That Takes Ordinary People and Turns Them into a Championship Team!” Come up with a Code of Honor for your company, and have any potential employees agree to it before you agree to hire them. That way they can be held accountable to the code, and you can weed out the weakest links for those who violate it, and CYA in the process.

A friend of mine runs an executive magazine. She does not have money to waste, but is happy to pay her staff better than good to get the right people and it shows in the results. It allows her to get more done with fewer people, and run a tighter, more loyal team.

It pays to have exceptional customer service. Your gauge is in repeat customers. Your current customers will also spread the news if they have either been treated exceptionally well or exceptionally poor. Build your business right – right from the beginning, and your company will support you in your vision – if you create a Code of Honor that honors people, and you are ALWAYS the first to honor the code.

Have all your employees read “How to Win Friends & Influence People”, and they will gain common sense that will last them a lifetime, and you will reap the rewards through repeat business.