Initiative in detail

Positive examples

• Actively attempt to influence events to achieve goals
• Take action to achieve goals beyond what is requested
• Do not need to be asked to tackle problems/issues
• Try a new way of doing things, because it might be better
• Identify problems and recommend solutions

Negative examples

• Relies upon the direction of others
• Always prepared to go with someone else's ideas
• Passively accepts tasks or events

Developing initiative

• Pick an area of your job and consider what could be done better and then try to change it
• Look for issues in the operation of your team and suggest ways to fix them
• Review one of your objectives and think of all the things that you could do to make progress

Helping others to develop initiative

• Enbrace/support their initiatives
• Reinforce initiatives with praise
• Give public credit for initiatives
• Don't take on the individual's problems, insist he/she proposes solutions and carries out the required actions, but provide support
• Respond to questions from the individual with encouragement and seek their view on what they would do
• Set objectives in new areas for which no established processes or procedures are in place, or where new ones need to be generated
• Encourage the individual to use brainstorming and recommend new solutions to old problems when working with others