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Proactive Leadership |
Proactivity is one of the most popular management buzzwords to come from the 1990's. Yet there are a number of definitions of what it means to be proactive. Many would argue that being
proactive means to take action on an issue before being asked. Stephen Covey, who has
"be proactive" as the first of his famous "7 Habits of Highly Effective
People", defines proactivity as more than merely taking the initiative, but focuses
on "response-ability" - the ability and freedom to choose our response to a
stimulus. Look at the model below, which show the difference between reactive
thinking where a stimulus gives rise to an immediate response, and proactivity where there
is sufficient space between the stimulus and the response for a choice of response to be
made. |
Being proactive is eminently Christian. We are not machines which have no choice in how we react to situations, but God has given us the freedom to choose how we act. Our hearts, minds and souls combine emotional, logical and spiritual evaluations of alternative responses to a stimulus so that we can choose our preferred approach. The presence of the Holy Spirit wihint a Christian's heart can bring God's wisdom to enter our choice of response if we will let Him. This means that we move from being victims of the situations and circumstances that come our way, to empowered human beings filled with God's Spirit who can turn all things to good. Good leadership is intrinsically
proactive in making the choices about where the organization is heading and how it will
respond to the challenges faced along the way. Good leaders are not only proactive
themselves, but build a proactive attitude within the organization. |
Pause for Thought : For a week, make a conscious effort to be proactive - to make conscious choices of your responses to situations, especially those that could easily lead you to become irritated or annoyed. Think to yourself, "I choose", "I prefer", "I will", and seek to reduce your reliance on language such as "I can't", "I have no choice", "I must". Stephen Covey describes proactivity as a habit - think about whether you need to practise the habit! |
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