To explore these behaviors further, we interviewed a sample of proactive businesspeople operating as entrepreneurs and company presidents in North America, Central Europe, and Southeast Asia. We found that they, like other proactive individuals, engage in the following behaviors:
1. Scan for change opportunities. "You just keep your antennae out for opportunities," one entrepreneur told us. "We're constantly looking for new ways to grow," said one company president. Antennae provide a useful metaphor, and constant searching is key.
2. Set effective, change-oriented goals. Proactive behavior is focused on accomplishment, but particularly on accomplishment with real impact. "I will raise the standard" was a common declaration among company founders we interviewed in Thailand. Similarly, an entrepreneur in the U.S. told us, "I want to set the vision above what anyone else has. It's almost like something new that hasn't been discovered." An independent consultant explained his goal of having a major impact on other people, saying, "I'm not crazy about selling service. I'm more concerned about empowering my clients to manage their businesses for themselves."
3. Anticipate and prevent problems. "I roll on the floor," said the owner and manager of a child care center, describing how she tries to see her operation from the eyes of the children so she can spot potential dangers in the environment and fix them before problems arise. The owner of a
3
small office supply store in Hungary told us, "I am afraid of Office Depot....I am setting up new stores in better locations." In this case, David is not surrendering to Goliath, or passively hoping for the best. Instead, he is taking proactive steps.
4. Do different things, or do things differently. A successful entrepreneur told us, "I detest a me- too kind of concept." Another said, "Let's change the model" and do business in a different fashion. Similarly, a company founder explained, "What I always wanted to do was find a better way of doing something. I don't want to do it in the traditional way."
5. Take action. Much has been written about the need for an action orientation, including Peters and Waterman's "bias for action" (1982). In our proactive studies, participants made comments like, "We learned by doing, just jumped in," "We were the first..." and "We're pioneers..." They were not passive, did not stop at the idea stage, and did not hesitate to take the lead. They took the plunge despite the uncertainties.
6. Persevere. Proactive people persist in their efforts. They don't back off from the obstacles, they don't take no for an answer, they don't settle for less, and they aren't satisfied with being able to say after a defeat, "Well, at least I tried." This is reflected in attitude ("I'm bulletproof, I can do anything" said one entrepreneur) and in behavior. Said a Thai entrepreneur, "If you stop, you are not just stopping, you are also going down. You must keep going." An entrepreneur in the U.S. described the long-term requirement of perseverance in building a successful firm, saying, "Successes to me are those little challenges you have to get over, daily, weekly, monthly, whatever, just to exist and survive and be part of the economic landscape." Perseverance refers to effort, not necessarily to continuing the same strategies and tactics. It means taking new directions when others dead-end. "Just keep trying different ways" and "We're going to make it happen one way or the other" were exemplary quotes from the individuals we interviewed.
7. Achieve results. Implicit in the comments above is a clear results orientation. Change must not merely be thought about or attempted, but achieved. A typical quote was, "Accomplishment is the main thing. You need to have tangible results." And the results are not just "making the numbers," but having a change-based impact on organizations, people, or situations. In one of our studies, proactive people revealed qualitatively different "greatest personal achievements." Those with lower scores on a questionnaire measuring proactive behavior were more likely to report such achievements as meeting a challenging deadline, bringing a project in under budget, or winning a competition at work or in sports--commendable, but not change-related accomplishments. In contrast, those scoring higher on the questionnaire were more apt to have founded companies, been successful change agents, or engaged in entrepreneurial activities inside larger corporations. And they were involved in more and different civic and community activities aimed at improving the lives of other people.
To explore these behaviors further, we interviewed a sample of proactive businesspeople operating as entrepreneurs and company presidents in North America, Central Europe, and Southeast Asia. We found that they, like other proactive individuals, engage in the following behaviors:
1. Scan for change opportunities. "You just keep your antennae out for opportunities," one entrepreneur told us. "We're constantly looking for new ways to grow," said one company president. Antennae provide a useful metaphor, and constant searching is key.
2. Set effective, change-oriented goals. Proactive behavior is focused on accomplishment, but particularly on accomplishment with real impact. "I will raise the standard" was a common declaration among company founders we interviewed in Thailand. Similarly, an entrepreneur in the U.S. told us, "I want to set the vision above what anyone else has. It's almost like something new that hasn't been discovered." An independent consultant explained his goal of having a major impact on other people, saying, "I'm not crazy about selling service. I'm more concerned about empowering my clients to manage their businesses for themselves."
3. Anticipate and prevent problems. "I roll on the floor," said the owner and manager of a child care center, describing how she tries to see her operation from the eyes of the children so she can spot potential dangers in the environment and fix them before problems arise. The owner of a
3
small office supply store in Hungary told us, "I am afraid of Office Depot....I am setting up new stores in better locations." In this case, David is not surrendering to Goliath, or passively hoping for the best. Instead, he is taking proactive steps.
4. Do different things, or do things differently. A successful entrepreneur told us, "I detest a me- too kind of concept." Another said, "Let's change the model" and do business in a different fashion. Similarly, a company founder explained, "What I always wanted to do was find a better way of doing something. I don't want to do it in the traditional way."
5. Take action. Much has been written about the need for an action orientation, including Peters and Waterman's "bias for action" (1982). In our proactive studies, participants made comments like, "We learned by doing, just jumped in," "We were the first..." and "We're pioneers..." They were not passive, did not stop at the idea stage, and did not hesitate to take the lead. They took the plunge despite the uncertainties.
6. Persevere. Proactive people persist in their efforts. They don't back off from the obstacles, they don't take no for an answer, they don't settle for less, and they aren't satisfied with being able to say after a defeat, "Well, at least I tried." This is reflected in attitude ("I'm bulletproof, I can do anything" said one entrepreneur) and in behavior. Said a Thai entrepreneur, "If you stop, you are not just stopping, you are also going down. You must keep going." An entrepreneur in the U.S. described the long-term requirement of perseverance in building a successful firm, saying, "Successes to me are those little challenges you have to get over, daily, weekly, monthly, whatever, just to exist and survive and be part of the economic landscape." Perseverance refers to effort, not necessarily to continuing the same strategies and tactics. It means taking new directions when others dead-end. "Just keep trying different ways" and "We're going to make it happen one way or the other" were exemplary quotes from the individuals we interviewed.
7. Achieve results. Implicit in the comments above is a clear results orientation. Change must not merely be thought about or attempted, but achieved. A typical quote was, "Accomplishment is the main thing. You need to have tangible results." And the results are not just "making the numbers," but having a change-based impact on organizations, people, or situations. In one of our studies, proactive people revealed qualitatively different "greatest personal achievements." Those with lower scores on a questionnaire measuring proactive behavior were more likely to report such achievements as meeting a challenging deadline, bringing a project in under budget, or winning a competition at work or in sports--commendable, but not change-related accomplishments. In contrast, those scoring higher on the questionnaire were more apt to have founded companies, been successful change agents, or engaged in entrepreneurial activities inside larger corporations. And they were involved in more and different civic and community activities aimed at improving the lives of other people.
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