Yesterday I had a great conversation with someone about initiative, and how few things impress an employer more than an employee who sees a problem and looks for ways to solve it without being asked to do so.

When we got to talking about how to teach initiative, we noted that some people naturally have it, while others do need a bit of education on the topic.

Writing in our book Living Toad Free, Dr. Dennis R. Rader and I discuss the value of initiative. We say that “Initiative is a cardinal virtue. Without it we not only do less, we think less, we learn less, and we are less.”

Consider these other things that we say about the topic:    

Initiative goes beyond description. It takes risks. It has the ability, though not a compulsive need, to challenge the status quo. It can, at any time, leap out of the box. It strives to help others; there is an element of selflessness within those who possess it. Initiative not only starts, it completes. It operates from a principled base; strong values underlie its choices of action.

Initiative has the habit of “revisioning” the ordinary; it looks at today’s problems with tomorrow’s eyes. Initiative excites and leads forth the energies of intelligence and commitment. It is therefore a cardinal virtue, for so much of what we value hinges upon its existence.

Initiative not only moves, it finds ways to flow. Its movement is not frenetic; initiative moves with purpose, whether it is emotional, intellectual, professional, personal, or spiritual.

Okay …. that’s a bit of a plug for the book. But I’m not the only one who likes it.  :-)   The current Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and his wife Patricia also like it.  They wrote “It is fun to read and full of new and enlightening twists to life’s conundrums. We encourage people of all ages to identify and free themselves from their pesky Toads.”

If you like, you can read the first chapter here. If you the concept seems interesting, you can either get a copy of the book through Amazon or directly through me.   (To get a signed copy you’d need to order through me).

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Filed in Work, Motivation, Management, Workplace, Corporate Culture