Five ways to increase your self-drive
What you need to know:
- When you look at things positively, it is easier to see the good in every situation.
- This is how you will see opportunities in challenges, and you will become the go-to person in the team for ideas on how to crack that latest social media campaign which is taking longer to set off, or how to get ambivalent team members to participate in the company’s upcoming culture week.
Being proactive has been lauded as a key secret to growing professionally, building a professional network and creating opportunities for ourselves.
Proactivity means thinking ahead and taking the driver’s seat in your career and your job. When you are proactive, you become a problem solver because you look for solutions to problems rather than just sitting and worrying over what you think is under your control, and waiting for someone else to think about the solution. It also means taking full ownership of your job and actively thinking about outcomes, not just for the sake of the salary you will get at the end of the month.
Proactivity gives you the opportunity to grow your skills and practice your leadership skills. Beyond that, proactivity adds to your visibility at work and might help you get bigger professional opportunities.
One clear sign that you are proactive is if you do not sit around waiting to be told what to do.
Here are some of the ways you can increase your proactivity at work.
Have a positive mindset
When you look at things positively, it is easier to see the good in every situation. This is how you will see opportunities in challenges, and you will become the go-to person in the team for ideas on how to crack that latest social media campaign which is taking longer to set off, or how to get ambivalent team members to participate in the company’s upcoming culture week.
Plan your time well
You cannot be proactive if you are always behind schedule with your regular tasks, and disorganised every time you show up for meetings. Planning your time well will make you more efficient at work, complete your tasks in good time and get the time to come up with out of the box solutions. This might not be possible if you are always in a rush to meet one deadline or another.
Communicate
Have a conversation with your line manager and let them know you are open for more ‘exploits’. Let them know you have ideas that could improve results or that you need their support to pilot a low risk idea among the team members. However, your line manager will likely only give you a chance if you are already doing well with your primary duties.
Be flexible
Things do not always go as planned. Sometimes what seems like the best idea at the start of the month may fall apart after just a week. Flexibility and self-awareness helps you know when you should pivot, when you should take a break from pursuing a certain line of action or even when it’s time to abandon it all together. This ensures you are receptive to other ideas which makes you a better team player. Flexibility also means that you will not beat yourself up too much when something doesn’t go as planned. You take the lessons and move.
Devote yourself to excellence
As much as it depends on you, present the best possible quality of your work every single time. This means doing your homework well. When you show up prepared, people take you seriously, and are likely to be open to the idea of giving you opportunity to do more or take a lead on something.
