Following on from my article on attitude yesterday, and after a brief chat with a colleague last night, I was led to think about something closely related to attitude, in that it reflects the kind—or degree—of attitude an individual has: initiative. I believe it’s always a good idea to first ascertain the semantic applicability—or authenticity—of a term before one would venture to delve into discussing it in one’s given context. Initiative, according to the OED, can be used to convey enterprise, resourcefulness, originality, drive, dynamism—among other things—but for the sake of this piece, we’ll stick to resourcefulness and drive. Initiative is perhaps one of the few indicators of an individual’s attitude and, I think, it’s far more important to encourage initiative in people than it is to demand results—or outcomes—from them.
My logic here is quite simple: the more we hone and cultivate initiative in our colleagues, trainees, or mentees, the results will inevitably become clear for all to see. Resourcefulness has its roots in creativity and invention, originality, and imagination; drive, on the other hand, is rooted in individual self-confidence and self-belief, elements that are derived from the kind of confidence and belief individuals receive from those they work with—whether that be a colleague or a superior. As businesses, I feel, we seek things in the wrong order. Yes, we employ individuals for the skills they offer, and then we expect them to deliver without stint because, obviously, we pay them, and results are what we desire from them; however, in managing professionals, we tend to lose sight of the fact that we are also managing human beings who require intermittent—if not constant—support, guidance.
When we fail to provide the right kind of managerial support, even the most experienced professionals can find their initiative going stale, and the only way to continuously get the best results out of the best professionals is by encouraging them to cultivate their initiative—to be driven, enterprising, creative, and motivated. Every professional should know that they have the fullest sanction from their management to be fearless in pursuit of their objectives. When they’re convinced that they’re being encouraged and supported in the right way, the outcomes will speak for themselves. Initiative, then, isn’t just about the individual. Of course, a person can bring bags of initiative to a company, and quickly feel sapped by a toxic, unsupportive environment. We have to create—and sustain—the kind of environment in which people feel as though drive, inventiveness—in which initiative—is the norm; and that’s all there is to it.
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
I tweet at@iamhamidshahid, and can be reached via email at hsk@suigeneristraining.co.uk
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