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TAKINGINITIATIVE

Describe What it Means to TakeInitiative Demonstrate Behaviors Associatedwith Taking Initiative Identify Appropriate Times to TakeInitiative AGENDAIn this course participants will be able toidentify initiative in action, determine wheninitiative is appropriate, and display initiativein a real-life setting.

Initiative means the ability to independently assess andexecute when action can be taken. What does taking initiative mean for you in the workplace?WHAT ISINITIATIVE?

WHAT DOESINITIATIVE LOOK LIKE?Doing thingswithout beingtold01Maintainingprogress whenthings get tough03Spotting andseizingopportunities04Finding outwhat you needto know02

INITIATIVE INPRACTICETaking positive action at work or within your jobfunction has benefits such as increasing wellbeing,engagement, productivity and your sense ofbelonging to something bigger.At Ensemble, taking ownership of a problem andseeing it through to a solution is a great way todemonstrate initiative.Proactive people are always looking ahead toanticipate needs, problems and outcomes.If you are attending a conference in a different city,you go beyond actually booking air travel, arrangingground transportation and booking a hotel room.Taking InitiativeBeing Proactive

On the next page, take a moment to look atindividuals who took initiative and madechange. See if you can match the appropriate personto the things they are known for takinginitiative in.

Worked at a local candystore, yet when he tried togo out on his own hefailed. Took the initiativeto go back to his familyfarm to create the candywe know today.The inventor of thelightening rod, thisindividual's family could notafford to send him to schoolafter his 10th birthday. Hetook the initiative to educatehimself by reading everybook he could get his handson.This individual was not giventhe chance to playbasketball because he wastoo "short". Even thoughdiscouraged, he took theinitiative to work hard and isnow considered one of thebest in the NBA.This individual had a roughchildhood, yet she continuedto take initiative by creatinga talk show that becomenationally known. MatchingRead the descriptions below and see if you can determine whose initiative belongs to which person. Click to the next page to see if you chose the correct matches.Oprah Winfrey Michael JordanMilton HersheyBenjamin Franklin

Worked at a local candystore, yet when he tried togo out on his own hefailed. Took the initiativeto go back to his familyfarm to create the candywe know today.The inventor of thelightening rod, thisindividual's family could notafford to send him to schoolafter his 10th birthday. Hetook the initiative to educatehimself by reading everybook he could get his handson.This individual was not giventhe chance to playbasketball because he wastoo "short". Even thoughdiscouraged, he took theinitiative to work hard and isnow considered one of thebest in the NBA.This individual had a roughchildhood, yet she continuedto take initiative by creatinga talk show that becomenationally known. MatchingLooking below, were you able to correctly pair the individual to the initiative they are known for?Oprah Winfrey Michael JordanMilton HersheyBenjamin Franklin

Benefits of Taking InitiativePersonallyTaking initiative helps build andstrengthen your decision-making andanalytical skills. Having initiative alsohelps to identify opportunities andcapitalize on them. The habit of takinginitiative strengthens your personalbrand.With Co-WorkersTaking initiative on certain projectsestablishes you as a valuable teammember at work. Your team membersknow they can rely on you to create amore productive environment.With the CompanyUsing your initiative makes you adesirable candidate for jobs andopportunities as you are showing you canthink for yourself, as well as proving thatyou will continue to develop and grow inyour role.Taking Initiative has several benefits for the individual, the team, and the organization as a whole.

When Not to Take InitiativeBeing proactive takesconsiderable time andenergy, so it isimportant to recognizethat some problemsare not yours to solve.Taking on too many ortoo large initiativescan easily lead toburnout.Most of the time, thechanges you make toyour work methodsinvolve other teams.Yet many proactiveemployees don’t fullyconsider how theirproactivity mightimpact others.ManagingYourselfConsideringOthersIf an idea doesn’t alignwith your key strategyor the larger missionof your organization, itis likely to be a wasteof time and resources.Avoid change forchange’s sake.Aligning withOrganizationalGoals There is a right and a wrong time to take initiative.When it comes to creating positive change, proactive employees don’t need to be told to take initiative.Emerging evidence suggests that if proactivity is not channeled in the right way, it can backfire and have unintended negativeconsequences.

Read over the next two scenariosand consider whether they arepositive or negative initiative.

SCENARIO:Helen's manager was due to meet with her and her co-workers to discuss theirrole in the next product roll-out. Unfortunately, he's been snowed in at an airporton the other side of the country, and his cell phone battery is dead. The deadlineis tight, and the team can't afford to waste a day because of his absence.Helen was the last person to talk to her boss before he left, and he'd outlinedwho was going to be doing what on the project. So, Helen takes command, and,within an hour, everyone on the team has their preliminary tasks mapped out.

Did Helen have positive ornegative initiative? Positive

Helen chose to go above and beyond in a situation that called for direction.Helen showed she could be proactive by looking ahead to anticipate needs andthen creating positive outcomes for herself and her team.Why was Helen's initiative...Positive

SCENARIO:"I’m pretty negative on having meetings of any type. We just sit aroundtalking and don’t really accomplish anything. So I took the initiative to tellmy boss I wasn’t going to attend any more meetings so that I could getsomething productive done during that time when everyone else is in themeetings. Of course, my boss wasn’t very happy about that, which is whywe’re sitting here talking today."-Shawn

Did Shawn have positive or negative initiative? Negative

Though Shawn voiced his ideas, he did not bring positive opportunities forimprovement. With Shawn leaving the meeting he also showed his team that hecan not be relied upon. Positive initiative means considering others outside ofoneself. Why was Shawn's initiative...Negative

WHAT IS TAKING INITIATIVE?Initiative is the ability to take charge.It's taking action & being proactive.Doing things without being told.Taking advantage of new opportunities.LET'S REVIEW

Now that we can identify taking initiative,let's look at how we can take initiative inour own lives.

9 WAYS TOTAKEINITIATIVEBe ProactiveExample:Your boss is out sickand you find tasks to progress the current project without being told.FindOpportunitiesforImprovementExample:You use feedback fromclients on opportunities in the company to advocate for positivechange.Voice YourIdeasExample:Expressing your ideascan help establish yourvoice within the companyand build yourreputation.

9 WAYS TOTAKEINITIATIVEBe DecisiveExample:Come up with a fewsolutions to a problem, weigh the pros and consand choose what courseof action will work best. Prevent +AddressProblemsExample:Looking ahead before being confronted witha challenge, consider all ofthe outcomes. Then ask questions to find potential problems before they arise.ImproveSystems Example:If you notice that aprocess is outdated agreat way to take initiative is to review it and make suggestions.

9 WAYS TOTAKEINITIATIVEBe Preparedfor MeetingsExample:If you are asked to present at a meeting, be preparedby clarifying expectations,reviewing your materialsand ensuring no interruptions.AnticipateQuestions +PrepareAnswersExample:You anticipate questions about where issues occurred while creating answers with actionable ways to avoid these issues in the future. .Set RealisticStandardsExample:You can set achievablestandards by only taking on tasks that you have the time, energy, and resources to fulfill.

Now let's see taking initiative inaction. Read the situations and determinewhich of the 9 ways to takeinitiative is being displayed.

A. Be DecisiveB. Be Prepared for MeetingsC. Find Opportunities for ImprovementD. Voice Your Ideas You interact with the public and get consistent feedback fromclients, so you look for patterns in issues clients encounter. You then suggest sending out a survey to gauge publicopinion and gather more data. With that data you will findareas in which the company can improve. Which of the following 9 Ways to takeinitiative do you think it is?

The answer is... Finding Opportunities for Improvement

A. Anticipate Questions and Prepare AnswersB. Be Prepared for MeetingsC. Find Opportunities for ImprovementD. Set Realistic Standards You recently missed a deadline on a project. You are askedto meet with your supervisor to gather feedback on theproject. You arrive at the meeting anticipating questionsabout where issues occurred while creating answers withactionable ways to avoid these issues in the future. Youshow that you're willing to take the initiative to meetchallenges and work to prevent them. Which of the following 9 Ways to takeinitiative do you think it is?

The answer is... Anticipate Questions and Prepare Answers

A. Address and Prevent ProblemsB. Set Realistic Standards C. Improve Systems, Policies and ProceduresD. Voice Your Ideas You and a colleague have identified a gap in a process.You would like to collaborate on creating the solution, butyou don’t have enough time in your schedule to support.You reach out to a coworker and ask if they’d like to stepin for you on the project.Which of the following 9 Ways to takeinitiative do you think it is?

The answer is... Set Realistic Standards

I believe everyone chooses how they approachlife. If you're proactive, you focus on preparing. Ifyou're reactive, you end up focusing on repairing.John C. Maxwell

R E A C T I V EA reactive leader waits forchallenges to arise, and thenstruggles to overcome them.E X A M P L EA new client is being onboarded in 60 days. Themanager takes the time to learn the client’scurrent processes, making it a smoothertransition to new processes when the client is upand running.E X A M P L EThe manager did not investigate or trainassociates on a new application they would beusing, leading them to scurry to gather materialsand find time to train.P R O A C T I V EA proactive leader anticipates challenges and has a plan for handling them.Proactive vs. ReactiveTake a look at the chart to the right to understand thebehaviors of proactivevs. reactive people.

Learning from Failure:Proactive vs. Reactive Leadership

12 3Initiative is taking action and beingproactive. It's about goingabove and beyond. One benefit of taking initiative is personal and professional growth.Initiative must be used atappropriate times.Considering each opportunityand taking action when doingso creates desirableoutcomes for you, yourteammates, and theorganization.Key Take Away 12 3Initiative is taking action and beingproactive. It's about goingabove and beyond. One benefit of taking initiative is personal and professional growth.Initiative must be used atappropriate times.Considering each opportunityand taking action when doingso creates desirableoutcomes for you, yourteammates, and theorganization.Key Take Away

How does taking initiative look in a real-lifesetting? Being a proactive leader has more benefitsthan being reactive. There are 9 ways in which you can take andshow initiative at work.Wrap Up9 Ways to TakeInitiative Initiative in PracticeProactive vs.ReactiveBeing ProactiveFind Opportunities for ImprovementVoice Your IdeasBe Decisive Prevent + Address ProblemsImprove SystemsBe Prepared for MeetingsAnticipate Questions + Prepare AnswersSet Realistic Standards

Complete this lesson byclosing this coursewindow. PLEASE NOTE: This course is part 1 of a 2-partcourse. In order to be markedcomplete, you must complete bothparts of the course. Part 2 of thiscourse will be a facilitated TalkSession during which you willparticipate in an engaging discussionabout the content you just learned.