Being Proactive in the Workplace

It was productive. I'm going to put this. All right. I hope works. Okay, firstly, since it's Friday, let's start with reflections. Have you assessed how your week went? Had an interesting discussion about reflections this week. It's something that's useful because like I say, if you want to change something, you have to be measuring it and you have to be trying to tracking your progress on something. So whether it's something in your personal life, in your work life, a goal you have in your health, in your finances, when you're trying to make a change and you're trying to improve on something, you have to be tracking it. You have to be assisting how you're making that change. And if you're making any progress, oh, my gosh, it looks so bad. I don't know how to pick out light. You'll have to bear with me. Okay, so every Friday, I suggest you look at your metrics. So for companies, let's say if you're trying to make sales, you say, how many products did we sell per day or per week? Are we moving forward? Then you check every week how many are selling? What are the trends? Do you sell more on Wednesdays or more on Saturdays? You know, those are your metrics. But you can also do this with your personal life, with the things that you're trying to achieve with your goals. How many pages of a book did I read? How many times did I make it to the gym? How many glasses of water did I drink in a day? You can track these things day to day, and then you track them week by week so that you assess your progress to see how you're moving forward, you're measuring, and that's how you make an informed decision with the data that you collect from these reflections. So some stuff can be like metrics, which is quantifiable, where you can count or check or assess or measure away or see how many new people you met. There are different ways you can enumerate this, and other things are qualitative. So you ask yourself, what did I succeed at this week? What were my challenges this week? What are the obstacles that got in the way of me achieving my goals this week? How do I do better next week? How can I do more or try a new approach or try something new or feel better about what I did, be better rested, so I'm reacting and responding better. There are so many things you can do and assess once you know where your challenges are and where you're winning, what you're good at, what your strengths are. So that's one of the things that helps with these weekly reflections, and that's why it's useful. So since it's Friday, I suggest you reflect on your week. How did it go? You don't have to share this with someone. You can do it by yourself, but it's also useful to share it with an accountability buddy. And if you both do it, you hold each other accountable. You get used to sharing this information, and it's a support system, which is always good when you're trying to achieve goals or change something in your life. So today we're speaking about being proactive in the workplace. I'm going to try and keep it short because as you can see, I'm on the move. Being proactive is such an important skill, I think, and it's so useful because it only requires your effort and attitude, and yet you can reap so many benefits. And I think in the workplace especially, well, if you're employed, it's easier, I think, than if you're an entrepreneur about being proactive, because work also finds you. When you're an entrepreneur, you kind of always have to be chasing things. That's part of being of running a business. But I think in both cases, you can always be. You can always see, how do I contribute to the company's success? How do I make sure we're moving in the right direction? How do I make sure I'm moving in the right direction? Am I growing? Am I learning? Am I providing value? Am I helping the goal of the company? Today I was doing an interview, and one of the questions that the lady asked me was, how can she do her job to the best of her ability and it contributes positively to the company. I was like, that's a great question. You know, when you're being interviewed, so you want to see how you've been. You're contributing to the company's value and how you're contributing to the company's growth. And that's something that you can do whether you work or whether you're an entrepreneur. And being proactive helps with that. I feel like there's a video about this and I'm sure I put some tips. I can't remember what I said, but when I think about it now, I think one of the easiest ways to be proactive, especially in a workplace, is to have good relationships. Build relationships with your colleagues, whether it's with your workmates, your clients, your suppliers, your staff, your stakeholders. Relationships are important. And it's being proactive helps relationships. You have to sort of have that attitude and that mindset where you take the high road in Buttes, for example, where you say hello first, you check on people, you ask how they are, interest, you develop a bond, you be proactive, where you're putting in time and effort, you're thinking about these other people and these relationships and how I grow them and nurture them. How do I make new connections? How do I build on the connections I already have? Because that will help you, not just in your current position and your current job, but it's building your network. So I feel like it's a good life skill. But if you're proactive in the workplace and you're actively cultivating these relationships, it will help you go further in your work. You'll get stuff done more efficiently, you have access to more information, you'll have access to more opportunities if you cultivate relationships. And that's one of the easiest things to do in the workplace. But you have to be proactive. If you just sit there every day and say, good morning, only the people next to you, and you have lunch with the same person every day, and you never make an effort to meet people after work or ask how they are, what's going on in their lives, then you're letting go of an opportunity for yourself. But it does take some effort. It does take being proactive to look for people, to check on people, to cultivate these relationships, to take an interest, to remember, oh, I bought this book for you, or I saw this event and I thought you'd be interested in. Know the people that you work with. Understand what drives them, understand their challenges, their fears, their goals. Bond, connect. There's always something you can connect with someone on. And building relationships is a very useful skill for yourself, for life, but it's also very useful. You will reap a lot of benefits. You plant these seeds when you meet people, you get to know them. And you never know what opportunities will come through another person that you know and that you work with. So it's a good opportunity, I think. Another thing about being proactive, like Stephen Covey says, begin with the end in mind. Look at your own work, look at your own goals, look at the company's goals. What are you trying to achieve? What's the company trying to achieve? What's most important in your company culture? Is it the sales? Is it how you interact with each other? Is it the customer service? What is the special thing about your company and what do they take pride in? And how can you contribute to that? How do you contribute to making sure that you achieve. These are all areas you can be proactive in. By not being passive and waiting for someone to give you instructions. Instructions by not waiting and sitting and just doing the bare minimum. You got there nine, you've left at five. You ticked all the boxes. If you finished your work at 1pm, you just sat there and played solitaire on your computer. That's not being proactive. Use your time well. Think about the goals. Think about where you're trying to be. Do the extra work. I'm not saying do extra unpaid work. What I'm saying is put in more effort with the work. When I say do the work. Like research some. You come to a meeting, think about things. Sometimes it just takes a few moments. If you're going from your desk to the meeting room, you have that one minute walk. Instead of being on your phone and laughing at our dancing video on TikTok, why don't you take a moment to think about what is this meeting for? What is the goal of the meeting? What's the agenda? Why are they calling this meeting? You think about it for yourself. Why did my boss want us to work on this project plan? How does it help the company? Where are the gaps they're not seeing? How can I make a suggestion? How can I contribute to this in a good way? Even if it just takes you that one minute walk from your desk to the room and you're present and you think about it, that's being more proactive. That's not waiting to sit in the meeting to be assigned the task and then you just go do the task. Think about the big picture. Who is being invited to this meeting and why? What is the plan or the project or the goal? What are we trying to achieve in the bigger picture? And by doing that you start to think like that. And that practice helps you to map things out to when you begin with the end in mind. You can make a better plan if you keep just going as you go. Sometimes I feel like you waste a lot of resources like time or money or something you could have done better or more efficiently or you forgot to involve a certain stakeholder. It helps. Especially things that you do all the time in your job. You specialize, you see, you notice where the trends, where are the patterns. Every single month we're paying for this service. When you, when we are subcontracting it, why don't we have an in house person that does it at a quarter of the price? These are suggestions you can make to your boss or as an entrepreneur, things you have to Assess, do. Why are we renting this every time? This equipment, can we buy it? Does it make sense? There are certain things you save and you learn when you are more present about how you think about things, when you think about the bigger goal, not just what you're being told now. Because we're all just human beings. No one is perfect, even your boss, your supervisor, your customer, your supplier. They're also only thinking about what they can manage in this moment, whether it's this deal or contract or this. This client. They have their own agendas, their own challenges, their own personal lives. So it helps when you put two heads are better than one. If you're also thinking and trying, you can contribute in different ways. You can see things other people don't see. You make connections that people don't see. Why don't we ask this department to do it since they're already going to be working on that kind of campaign? You know, there are small things you can do. And that's why I'm saying there's a difference. The difference in being proactive is mindset. It's an attitude. It's about, how can I get the most out of everything? How do I see the bright side in everything? How can I push further? Optimism is a big part of being proactive, because you can't be pessimistic. You kind of have to be like, what's the best case scenario? What's the worst case scenario? But like, how do we make the most of the situation? You know, that's the attitude that you can take, and that's how you do make the most of the situation. There are so many opportunities every day, but a lot of the time we miss them because we think it's not our job or it's not our problem, or we're just not paying attention. That's the challenge. By being proactive. You're present, you're thinking, you're looking around. It's like when you're driving, you can look like what's just in front of you, but you kind of always have to be aware. There's a border on the left. I have to be turning right soon. Here there's traffic. This one's not in their lane, that one behind me is too close. It's about being aware, like that of your environment. What else is affecting what you're trying to do, what you're trying to achieve. The project you're on, the target you have. There are many different factors. And by being proactive, you're looking at all those factors. How Can I improve my chances? How can I mitigate the risk? How can I mitigate the loss? How do I make sure that we're moving in the right direction and we're not going to be ambushed and surprised or unprepared and make a loss or miss an opportunity because of that. So it's an attitude and that's why it's a wonderful skill. And it's something you practice and you get better at and it just takes some effort. Okay, let's see some questions. Do you know any side effects of being proactive? Positive and negative. So positive aspects of being proactive, you do have more opportunities, you build better networks, you plan better, you use your resources better. I really love being proactive. I see it as a very positive thing. The negative side of being proactive, it is draining. You know, it does take a lot of energy and time. So maybe you don't want to be proactive in every single area of your life at the same time because it is taking a lot of your time and energy, your thoughts, your ability. What else is negative about being proactive? I think also the way you do it, some people, let's say you're in a job and you have a boss who's very controlling and now you have all these ideas, suggestions, you're trying to be helpful and they just find you annoying or they think you're trying to take their job. You're to trying know. So you have to navigate it carefully so that you show that your boss that it's a win win for both of us. I'm not trying to take your job. I'm trying to show you that I'm valuable to you, you know, so you have to navigate it delicately. How do I keep proactive and not look like I want to earn praise and show off that I'm working. Exactly. So I think the first way to do that is to make your boss your ally so that you show them that you're on their team. So even if you're showing off or trying to show the team has done something well, you always thank the team, give credit to the team, show your boss that it's all, you know, you're the one who's mentoring me, you know, remember your place. Because if you piss off your boss, it really can affect you negatively. And being proactive is not about earning praise, it's about showing value. The praise will come if you're showing value and adding value to the work that you're doing. It's not showing off. I think I feel like showing off has a negative intention. Being proactive. You are actually creating that value. And even if someone doesn't praise you for it, you know you did it. So it builds your own esteem, it builds your confidence, and it builds your ability. So with the next boss or your next job or your next project, you'll know I have the ability to do this. And it also helps you to keep growing and stretching yourself. So I would keep that as the intention and then it's more clear and people don't get as irritated with you. You know, I also wouldn't fear showing off so much because also you need visibility in your career. Whether you're an entrepreneur or career person or a student. Like, people need to know and see your value, otherwise they're not going to give you those opportunities. When are you not expected to be proactive in a career profession? Yeah, I think you should be proactive all the time. I think you have to look at the environment you're in and the people you deal with and know how to deal with them and what they expect from you and how they like to be communicated to and, and be proactive in a way that fits with that. I would never say don't be proactive. It's never helpful to just sit and be passive because at the end of day it's still your life, it's a profession, but you don't want a reference that said they did the bare minimum, you know. So I would always be proactive. Just manage how you communicate your ideas and contributions. Proactive employees can act, take responsibility and make decisions to fulfill the company's objectives. Furthermore, proactive workers do not wait for chances to present themselves. They create their own opportunities. Yes. Your question is why is that when you try to do at such times, you are seen as an obstacle to some people at work, such as department heads, managers, leaders and bosses. Yet you're doing it for success and development of the company. Should being proactive at the workplace be avoided or not? Yeah, these are all around the same topic. Don't avoid being proactive. Work on your communication. People feel threatened when you try to outshine them in front of their own bosses. But if you are proactive in the meeting is at 2, but at 1 you went to your manager's office and one on one you told them your suggestions and ideas and you can help in this kind of way. This is the support you want. So when you go in the meeting, you're there to back them up, to make them look good. You know, now that manager will know your ability. They'll know your skills and they'll appreciate you coming to them in advance, so they'll keep moving with you. But when there's a promotion or a training, they'll be suggesting you to go because they know you're going to help them in their work. So I would say being proactive is something you can always be, and then you just be strategic and tactful in your communications. All right, I think those are all the questions. Tips on making more business connections, please. We have a lot of videos on networking. I suggest you look at that. How do you balance proactiveness without abusing one's boundaries? You also have to know what you can and cannot do, what you can manage and what's too much for you and what other people want and don't want. If someone has told you they don't want you on a project or they don't need your contribution, and at this time, listen to them hear it. Communication is a big part of everything in life. People usually respond on what they need and they tell you when they don't want something. If a manager tells you the plan has already been locked, this is the, the, the target. This is the budget. This is the timeline. Now you coming with all your ideas of how it can work better. It's late, so if you keep pestering them with that, it dis. It disrupts your. Your reputation and, like, your relationship with them. So that's why I'm saying you have to listen to people's boundaries and the scope that they're working with. Then you be proactive within that. Okay, thank you. This is the target. Have we agreed on how we're going to achieve it? No, not yet. There. We're going to give you, like, leeway to use a different path to execute. Great. Now you can be proactive. What are all the best options to do this? So there are different ways that you can do that. All right. I hope that's helpful. Sorry for the delay. Send me your questions if you have any more. I think we still have another week on being proactive for students and entrepreneurs, maybe two. Have a good weekend.