Do you find this to be true also for you? Being reactive puts me at a disadvantage more than not…in other words losing. They were times when I fell short of the goal. The times that I wasn’t proactive about taking action were generally times when I didn’t achieve what I wanted. More often than not, I would get the position…hitting the ball right over the net. Being proactive also boosted my confidence level. This also allow others to know that I was serious about my interest in the position. This helped me to make an informed decision of whether it was a right fit for me or not.
I also spoke with the people doing the job to learn the pros and the cons of the position. If there were any gaps, I worked to gain the knowledge and the experience to fill those gaps. I was setting myself up to get to the ball first. When I worked in the corporate world, if I knew of a position that was available in an area that would help me to grow in my career I would learn what were the qualifications for the position in order to assess how my credentials stacked up against the requirements. This will often put you in the right position to succeed, to get to the ball first.īeing proactive serves me well. He also encourages us to engage with others in a positive manner in order to broaden our circles of influence. With this principle Covey encourages us to Be Proactive about the scripts that we use for our lives and take responsibility for them. Frankly, we were dead last! But her lesson stuck with me over these years.Ī few years later, I encountered this concept of “Be Proactive” again when I was introduced to Stephen’ Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Our volleyball team was not the best in the area. She encouraged us to get in the right position in order to get to the ball first. We were to anticipate where it was going and move towards that area. We shouldn’t wait for the ball to get to us before we move. “Go for it.” “Dig!” This was my high school volleyball coach yelling at us in practice.