Initiative is a superpower
Most people spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for permission, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting to be told what to do.
But the people who change things? They don’t wait.
People who take initiative—I call them Problem Hunters—are the most valuable in any organisation. They get more done, take pressure off leaders, and inspire others to make things better.
If being promoted is a measure of value, initiative is the #1 factor influencing these decisions—twice as important as simply doing a good job according to a global TED survey.
Former US President Obama put it well: “I’ve seen people at all levels explain why something can’t be done. What I look for is people who say, ‘Let me take care of that.’”
Initiative is just finding and solving important problems that others shy away from.
When organisations build taking initiative into their culture, they innovate faster, have higher productivity, and research shows outperform competitors by 6x over a three-year period research has shown.
No one assigns initiative. There’s no job title for it. But the people and organisations that have it? They stand out. They create more value. They become great leaders.
The best part? It’s available to everyone. Right now. No permission required.
Two ways you take more initiative:
Improve what you already do—adopt a beginner’s mindset and ask, “what can I change that I have or do that can make the outcomes of my work, faster, cheaper, or more valuable?”
Take on something new—look for a problem that’s close to what you do but involves parts of the business you don’t work in. Ask, “what can we stop, start, do more of or less of to make things faster, cheaper or more valuable?”