Being more proactive at work means achieving goals, doing tasks better, and giving your best in both working hours and personal time.
Last update: May 27, 2022
Being proactive at work is no easy task, as will and desire must be in harmony. In addition to this, this attitude is one of the most requested by the market and also depends on the relationship between worker and work environment.
However, when proactive, goals become more feasible and the path to career advancement is less arduous. In the following lines we present some strategies to be more proactive at work.
What is proactivity?
Proactivity is the ability to take control and anticipate events positive and negative for making assertive decisions; all using effective tactics to achieve the pre-established strategy.
The proactive person takes responsibility for their actions with maturity, without being affected by the work environment and drawing from it only what is relevant to their productivity. He puts aside any excuses and accepts the proposals related to the professional cause.
Behaviors inimical to proactive work
Some behaviors hinder proactive work. A responsible and hardworking person who likes to do their duties will try to avoid the following:
- Conflicts.
- Being a know-it-all.
- To impose one's authority.
- Taking other people's credit.
- Reluctance to improve.
- Constantly complaining about work.
- Being unpleasant in the workplace.
- Responding to any situation with lies.
- Gossiping about the personal life of colleagues.
- Don't be responsible for the consequences of your mistakes at work.
- Not being responsible for the tasks or goals to be achieved.
- Always arriving late at work.
- Not having or refusing to acquire the skills necessary to work as a team.
How to be proactive at work
It is not easy to be proactive, as it is an attitude that we sometimes have to acquire. The following strategies, however, allow you to hone your skills to effectively perform tasks based on the position you hold.
1. Organization and order
Memory is not enough to keep work organized and in order. Drawing up a list of priority and waiting activities helps you to give proper attention to various tasks.
We cannot control working hours as we please, because unforeseen events consume company and employee time; but this habit allows us to adapt to unforeseen events and to prevent, or at least minimize, future inconveniences.
Order and organization also apply to the workstation, as it will allow you to have everything at your fingertips and will facilitate the categorization of tasks, goals and objectives to be achieved.
2. Be optimistic, but not naive
It is not appropriate to tell oneself that pessimism is bad or that it will get you nowhere without going further. It is fundamental go back to the cause to find a way to process the aforementioned feeling.
It is the first step to being positive, not in the way this quality is sold to us, because that would be very naive. You are not positive just because you have positive thoughts or because you go from pessimism to optimism in the blink of an eye.
According to the above, it is important encourage critical thinking, accompanied by reflection, boldness (only when necessary) and prudence. These are the basis for turning negative thoughts into positive ones.
Come to think of it, this strategy is not only useful for being proactive at work, but also for achieving physical and mental well-being. It is also a pillar for resolving any unexpected situation that arises in life.
3. Be practical
Stand up for your ideas and be consistent with them. Being practical is a necessary skill to work as a team; it is also one of the main qualities of a good leader.
4. Be proactive at work: analyze the problem and seek intelligent solutions
When the unexpected happens, keep in mind that the problem is not the unexpected, but the approach taken. This step requires what was mentioned in the second point: to be optimistic, but not naive.
This means being critical and thoughtful, knowing when to be bold and when to be cautious. Your reaction will depend on how you interpret the problem to be solved.
Finally, it goes without saying that we must try to prevent possible setbacks, relying not only on experience, but also on that of others. This guideline is the basis for making assertive decisions and being prepared for problems.
5. Physical and emotional health to be proactive at work
The most important strategy of all. To achieve physical and mental health, one must be aware of oneself. The immediate consequence of this state is emotional homeostasis, which allows you to have control over your life, therefore over your work.
As far as time management is concerned, the person who reaches this ideal state knows how to optimize their schedules to the maximum both at work and in personal life.
