Proactivity is one of the characteristics that makes the difference in terms of people’s job success. Someone who has the ability to remain willing to perform his or her job tasks with the best of intentions will find it easier to perform in the workplace.

In this article we are going to see several keys on how to be more proactive at work .

What does proactivity at work mean?

The term proactivity refers to an attitude of control with which the subject is able to take responsibility for his activities and get down to work in order to carry them out efficiently. The proactive person is capable of carrying out personal strategic planning to manage his/her tasks and carry them out.

Individuals who possess this characteristic are little influenced by environmental circumstances that might interfere with their work; that is, regardless of what is happening around them, they usually look for ways to get their work done.

With a reactive subject the opposite occurs, excuses are sought to justify their lack of commitment to the activities they are supposed to do.

How to increase labour proactivity?

Let’s see a list with some strategies to improve proactivity in the labor area.

1. Find the order

This first piece of advice refers to the basis of proactivity. A person who is able to keep his workplace orderly possesses or is aiming to possess a better capacity for planning and sense of order than those subjects who do not pay attention to this aspect. This simple fact goes hand in hand with a better disposition to work efficiently .

2. Keep positive thoughts

It is from thought that our actions originate, which is why we must be very careful about the quality of our actions. By proposing to think positively we are already taking significant steps towards improving our proactivity.

Positive thoughts motivate us , they constitute a way of seeing things in the best way and consequently the process of carrying them out is facilitated. Even when something looks good, we will be able to find the best solutions to the conflict.

3. Seek participation

Getting actively involved in the work dynamic will gradually acquire and normalize the behavior of being proactive. This can be achieved by making small positive changes in your daily life. For example, get involved in your colleagues’ conversations and contribute to their discussion.

Believe it or not, actively participating in conversations and discussions with colleagues encourages better performance at work, despite being a “passive” activity .

4. Get used to looking for solutions

That doesn’t mean that you should become everyone’s problem solver, but that you should always maintain the ability to prevent things from going wrong because of any circumstance beyond your control.

In other words, think positive, but keep your feet on the ground and take precautions. This way you will keep things from getting out of control , and you won’t be surprised when they do, but you will be able to find the best way out of it.

5. Get used to solving

In the work environment it is necessary to get used to looking for practical and effective solutions, otherwise we could incur in involuntary loss of time trying to solve things in the wrong way, or stop doing tasks because we dedicate ourselves to others too much.

6. Develops decision-making skills

A proactive person is able to make decisive decisions when others do not dare to . To be proactive one has to take risks from time to time; calculated risks, of course. The ideal is to study our decisions before taking the step, being careful not to over-evaluate.

7. Use new technologies

At the present time we have at our disposal a series of technological resources (apps, programs, etc.) that can help us simplify various aspects of our lives, including our work. A good way to increase proactivity at work is to take advantage of these resources, which in many cases contribute to saving time and resources .

8. Self-Motivation

Proactivity responds to the motivation we have to perform our activities in the best possible way. This motivation can come from within or from outside, through the rewards.

Subjects who are able to maintain a high level of proactivity are responsible for keeping themselves motivated, through their thoughts and their way of setting goals through their actions and experiences. The key is to focus on the benefits we will get if we do our assignments properly.

Bibliographic references:

  • Marinak, Barbara A.; Gambrell, Linda B. (2008). “Intrinsic Motivation and Rewards: What Sustains Young Children’s Engagement with Text? Literacy Research and Instruction. 47: 9 – 26.