Stephan Bevan’s Blog

What really is Initiative? How does someone learn or develop Initiative? How do you grow Initiative? How does one get Initiative if they’ve never had Initiative before?

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!