Being Proactive: The Secret to Success

In my numerous years of business experience, I’ve realized there are two types of people:

Reactive People: This is the person who does exactly what they’re told. Before they do anything else, they wait until they’re given the next instruction or assignment.
Proactive People: This type of person is a problem solver. They think ahead, anticipating the next step in both their life and work. If there’s an issue, they find a solution.

Given one of my earlier posts, you can probably guess which category I fall into. Perhaps my habit of worrying about my own businesses is my way of being proactive. But think about what category you or your employees fall into. What type of personality helps you succeed? According to some of my friends, corporate America is already clued in to the dichotomy between these two types of personalities. In fact, my friends tell me there is actually a salary base line of 100k between employees who are being proactive as opposed to reactive. While salary may be a metric for being proactive or reactive, I don’t think it’s a hard and fast boundary. I believe that being proactive is something that can be learned. Let me explain: I spent seven years as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and have over 4,000 hours on an ambulance. The 200 hours of training I received constantly focused on the question, “What’s next?” If you weren’t always thinking ahead or anticipating a patient’s needs or possible complications, you could find yourself facing a life or death situation. Now, the business world may not be as dramatic (though we may feel like we’re making life and death decisions when it comes to our businesses), but there’s something to be learned here. Proactive people increase work productivity and business revenue. How? They handle problems before they become problems. They’re EMTs, they’re firefighters. As I said before, I think being proactive, employing proactive people, or even committing to proactive management is something that can be learned. And here’s a few of the ways you can learn to be more proactive—and thus, more successful — at work:

Remember the Big Picture: I’ve already written a post about how you can’t forget the small details in business. But to be proactive, you have to keep the big picture in mind too. The road to your business’ success may have roadblocks or detours. Think ahead before your small business or start-up has to undergo major construction.
Be a Firefighter: A firefighter’s job is to put out a fire as quickly as possible to prevent as little damage to life or property as possible. In the business world, we have to be like firefighters, thinking ahead before problems flare up or grow into a conflagration that could cost your business its brand reputation, customer loyalty, or revenue.
Surround Yourself with Proactive People: Being around proactive people can help you be more proactive as well, especially when you employ proactive people. With employees and partners you can depend upon, you can focus your attention on potential issues for your business’ continued success safe in the knowledge that your employees or partners can handle — and will handle — any other problems that crop up.
Challenge Yourself: Being proactive may mean loosening your death grip on the reins of your company. But if you have a good employee with a great idea, let them run with it. Never be afraid of being challenged by new ideas or concepts. In fact, challenge your own way of thinking. What could you do now that could mean success later?

Overall, I think you’ll find that if you can get yourself in a proactive frame of mind, you’ll see positive results in your business, your productivity, and your revenue. But how can you be more proactive in your business? Do you think being proactive is the secret to success in your own small business, start-up, or enterprise?