Teamership: A bias for proactivity
There are generally three ways that any of us work. In order of least to most preferable, they are:
Reactive
When we are reactive, we are taking actions with little or no time to respond and typically attempting to mitigate actual or potential negative consequences.
Operating in this way is occasionally necessary, and never preferable. It drains energy and is an inherently short term solution.
Responsive
When we are responsive, we still need to move quickly but are able to consider how we will act based on events or decisions that have impacted us and our work.
Operating in this way is preferable to reactivity as we are able to utilise calendar and cognitive space to come up with better solutions. The feeling of reduced autonomy (because we are responding to the actions and impacts of others’ actions) impacts on the sustainability of operating in this way.
Proactive
When we are proactive, we are able to direct and influence important aspects of our work and performance.
This way of working is ideal for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it is often intrinsically rewarding. Working proactively allows us to do more than the bare minimum, and work more in a way that we choose on things that we think are important and going to have a lasting impact.
Great team members have a bias for proactivity.
It’s not that they are always able to act in a proactive way, it’s that it is their preference. That means that they are always looking for ways to move from reactive to responsive and responsive to proactive. Often, we find ourselves lingering too long in a state of reactivity - or worse, seeking out ways to create a need for reactivity. That may sound weird, but so many of us enjoy being a firefighter and, as I have heard Dom Price of Atlassian say…
“Sometimes a firefighter becomes a firestarter”.
Some questions for you to consider this week:
- What percentage of your time is proactive?
- Do you have strategies to move from reactive to responsive to proactive?
- How can you help others develop a bias for proactivity?
Keegan