Taking initiative

Taking initiative is seeking responsibility above and beyond your job description or assignment.
Be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



Tip #1 on How to be an Exceptional Technical Professional.
**Steven Cerri

What does it take to be a great technical professional, to be a great individual contributor in your organization? I'm not talking about your technical competence. I'll assume you have that part covered. I'm talking about your non-technical, people and organizational skills.

There are 9 behaviors that are critical. These 9 behaviors, called Exceptional Performance Behaviors, are grouped into 3 categories.

The first category includes three behavioral traits that are your personal behaviors. The three behaviors are categorized as Exceptional Personal Behaviors.

The second category includes three behavioral traits that you exhibit in relation to your group, your team, or immediate organization. The three behaviors in this category are categorized as Exceptional Team Behaviors.

The third category includes three behavioral traits that you exhibit in relation to the larger organization, the larger company-wide arena of people, groups, and departments that are beyond your immediate organization yet within your company. The three behaviors in this category are categorized as Exceptional Organizational Behaviors.

Each month I'm going to take one of the nine Exceptional Performance Behaviors and discuss them in detail. In this month's newsletter I'm going to address the first category Exceptional Personal Behaviors and the first behavior in that category, "Taking Initiative".

Tip #1: Taking Initiative is critical to your success as a technical professional in your organization over the long-term.

I'll begin by telling you what taking initiative "is not". If you just do your job really well and if you're a loner, you'll be known as an expert, you'll be known as a nice person or maybe a difficult person, but you will not be known as an Exceptional Performer. By definition, an Exceptional Performer takes initiative to "engage the world". Another way of saying it is that:

Taking initiative is seeking responsibility above and beyond your job description or assignment.

Taking initiative means that you are going to have to assume some personal risk as you engage the world where you might not necessarily "belong". You could make enemies and/or damage your reputation. Therefore, pick your initiatives carefully; but by all means, pick them.

Taking initiative doesn't mean that you have to take on big tasks or big projects, however. In taking initiative, day-to-day activities are just as important over time as the big projects.

Taking initiative means looking for the white spaces of the organization. What's not being done? Where are there potential gaps in the interfaces? What role can you play that can make a big difference in your organization?

Taking initiative means doing your current assignment well AND taking on other important work in addition.

Taking initiative is undertaking extra efforts for the benefit of coworkers or a larger group; very often it benefits others more than it benefits you. Stay close to the Return on Investment (ROI) path, that is, the path that moves everyone's efforts toward a happy customer, and where profitability and increased shareholder value can be achieved.

Determine the Probability of Success and the Cost of Failure (i.e., calculate the odds). Every organization has its tolerance for failure.... know your organization's tolerance and stay within it if your future in your organization is important to you..

In a nutshell here it is: Taking Initiative Means Doing more than is expected in areas beyond your responsibility that furthers the advancement of your team, the organization, and the company while using sound judgement and some calculated risk always with an ROI focus.