Proactivity: What Is It And Why Is It So Important?

There is a lot of talk about protagonism in your career and how to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

From there, countless possibilities arise for building a curriculum desirable by the market, with undergraduate, specialization, master’s and doctorate courses.

But do you know what is also highly desired by the best companies? Proactivity. Continue reading and understand better what proactivity is and why this skill is so important for your career!

Proactivity: what is it?

Proactivity is the ability to take initiative in the face of different situations and develop solutions in advance.

This way of acting is the opposite of being reactive, which consists of waiting for things to happen and only then taking some kind of action about them.

A proactive attitude is, for example, adopting healthy eating habits and lifestyle to prevent the emergence of diseases. A reactive approach, on the other hand, is only worrying about your health when you are already sick.

Now that you understand the concept of proactivity, let’s see how to transport it to the organizational environment.

Proactivity at work

Proactivity at work consists of taking the lead in carrying out tasks without the need for someone to ask or demand action from you.

This demonstrates autonomy and a sense of responsibility, known as accountability in the corporate world. It also reveals your ability to contribute to achieving goals, overcoming challenges and collaborating with the team.

Why is being proactive important?

Proactivity at work brings benefits to both employees and the organization itself. Check out some of the reasons why you should develop this skill:

More autonomy at work

Proactive people gain more autonomy at work, as they demonstrate initiative and problem-solving ability. They also arouse more trust on the part of leaders, gaining respect and new responsibilities as they mature.

Greater sense of collaboration

Proactivity can also be beneficial for the entire team, as you apply this skill to help others. By contributing to the development and growth of your team, you are fostering a more collaborative work environment.

Increased productivity

Being proactive means not waiting to do what needs to be done. Therefore, you stop procrastinating and carry out your tasks in an agile, efficient and results-focused way, which results in greater productivity in your daily life.

Risk reduction

One of the biggest advantages of being proactive at work is acting before certain conditions occur, thus avoiding risks. For example: let’s say you have a report to present at the end of next week.

You can leave the report a day in advance, running the risk that something happens along the way and you end up delaying it, or you can do the work as soon as possible and have it ready, with the possibility of reviewing it before the presentation.

Greater possibility of growth

People who demonstrate proactivity have more possibilities for career growth, as they arouse more trust from managers. Furthermore, proactive people gain prominence in their tasks, becoming references for their co-workers.

Greater learning opportunity

Being proactive also brings more learning opportunities, as you start offering to help with tasks or learn new things, instead of waiting for an opportunity to appear without you having prepared for it.

Why do companies value proactive people?

Now that you know the benefits of being a proactive person, how about understanding why this skill is so desired by companies?

Greater engagement at work

Proactive people are more engaged at work, that is, they are more involved in the organization’s projects, goals and objectives. Therefore, they contribute more actively to achieving results.

Furthermore, engaged people inspire other employees and help to build a more positive work environment focused on creating solutions.

Greater productivity

Your productivity contributes to achieving company results. In this sense, the more proactive you are, the more benefits the company will reap.

More innovation

Proactive people think ahead of their time. They help build the company’s future through innovations that are designed to solve future problems. Furthermore, innovation contributes to increasing the company’s competitiveness, opening up new markets and developing new solutions.

Strengthening organizational culture

When proactivity permeates the team, the organizational culture is strengthened, to the extent that people feel truly part of the company and capable of contributing to its results.

In the long term, this transformation of the corporate environment translates into greater talent retention, leadership training and the ability to respond to market challenges. But after all, how to become a proactive person?

Exercising proactivity in the workplace

Proactivity is a practice that develops over time and with the implementation of small changes in attitude towards the world. Here are some tips to start developing this skill:

Get organized

The essence of proactivity lies in your ability to organize ideas, thoughts and tasks. By being aware of what needs to be done, you can anticipate any unforeseen events and act proactively to ensure that your part will be done.

Manage your time

Time is a scarce resource, therefore, it must be used well. You can start by listing your tasks and estimating how much time you will need to dedicate to each one.

This makes it easier to get to work without delay and still have that strategic break between one task and another to help colleagues.

Always think one step ahead

One of the secrets of proactivity is to always think one step ahead of what you are doing now. For example: what are the impacts of a simple social media post? Could it generate interpretation problems? With this thought always at the forefront, you can be proactive and avoid future problems.

Be flexible

Proactivity also requires a little flexibility in your routine, especially to deal with unforeseen events. If something comes up at the last minute, be resilient in dealing with the situation and always look for a positive way to deal with it. Challenges were made to teach us!

Learn from your mistakes

Picking up on the previous tip, if challenges were meant to teach us, we need to figure out how to learn from our mistakes. After all, even if we are proactive, we may fail at some point. And this should give us support to identify our mistakes and look for ways to improve our skills and competencies.

Did you like to know what proactivity is and how important it is for your career? Then you may also be interested in the relationship between motivation and professional growth!