Hello, dear readers and guests of my blog. Today I will tell you about such a psychological property as proactivity. If you do not want to be a puppet of external circumstances, but want to become the author of the events of your life, then this article is for you. After all, proactivity is independent freedom of choice, and if desired, everyone can develop this quality.

The concept of “proactivity” was introduced by the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, author of the book “Saying YES to Life.” He wrote this beautiful book after his time in a Nazi concentration camp. It was the skill of proactivity that helped him survive this difficult time, without losing his inner freedom and meaning in life. So what is proactivity?

Proactivity is a person’s ability to consciously choose their reactions to external stimuli. In other words, this definition means independent freedom of choice and taking responsibility for one’s destiny. Because freedom without responsibility creates chaos.

Proactivity and reactivity - two attitudes to life

Proactivity and reactivity are two opposing approaches to life circumstances.

Reactivity is a passive attitude, an unconscious reaction to current events. Proactivity is conscious control over your emotions and actions.

A reactive man goes with the flow. His mood depends on external circumstances. If his boss yelled or the weather turned bad, his mood also deteriorated. A proactive person takes responsibility for his life into his own hands. Even if he is unable to influence the current situation, he himself chooses his attitude towards it.

These 2 personality types can be easily identified by their statements.

Statements characteristic of a reactive and proactive person:

• I don't know anything about this--->where can I find information about this?
• That's the kind of person I am --->I can take a different approach
• It annoys me --->I control my emotions
• no one will listen to me --->I can find suitable arguments
• I don't know how --->I'll learn
• I have to --->I prefer

As can be seen from these statements, it is common for a reactive personality type to find excuses and reasons for their inaction. Such people may blame their environment, their upbringing, and even the weather. That is, they are trying to relieve themselves of responsibility for their lives.

Why is proactivity needed?

In Stephen Covey's book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Individuals,” the principle of proactivity comes first. This quality is the key to success.

Let's look at the situation using an example. There is a crisis in the country, prices have risen. Reactive reaction to this event: blaming the government, complaints about lack of money. Proactive reaction: caring about increasing your income.

Judge for yourself, the second position is more effective. If you cannot influence the situation (and I think you cannot reduce the price level), then you need to shift the focus of your attention. Instead of wasting energy on complaints, a proactive person directs it in more useful ways.

Another invaluable advantage of this quality is personal development. This is well illustrated by the quote from Viktor Frankl: “I not only act in accordance with what I am, but I also become in accordance with how I act.” The reaction of a proactive person is based not on primary impulses, but on internal choice and personal values.

How to develop proactivity in yourself

First of all, in order to cultivate proactivity in yourself, you need to take responsibility. Stop blaming unfortunate circumstances and your surroundings for everything. Become the captain of your life and take the helm into your own hands.

Secondly, try to take the initiative and be active. As they say, those who want to act find opportunities, and those who do not want to look for excuses.

And third, do exercises to develop leadership and proactivity.

Proactivity exercise

For 30 days, implement the following practical suggestions, it can develop proactivity and make it an integral part of your life.

1. Above I gave examples of reactive and proactive statements. Watch your speech and try to remove destructive expressions from your vocabulary and replace them with constructive ones.
2. Make promises to yourself to do something useful for yourself. This could be a yoga exercise, learning a language, etc. Keep your promises and spend at least 30 minutes a day on your chosen activity.
3. Before going to bed, analyze your day and track your reactions. If in some situation you behaved reactively, then imagine in your imagination that you are reacting proactively. Promise yourself that in the next similar situation you will act this way.

Examples of Proactivity

The principles of proactivity apply not only to successful work, but also in all other areas of life.

In a relationship

A good example of proactivity in relationships was given by Stephen Covey. One day after a seminar a man came up to him and said:

• What you say is not always applicable in reality, for example, my family life. My wife and I have fallen out of love with each other, what should we do in such a situation?

To which Covey replied:

• Love her.
• But I don't love her anymore.
• So love her!
• No, you don’t understand, there are no more feelings.
• It's you who don't understand. “Love” is a verb, that is, it is an action. Love her, appreciate her, respect her, serve her and sacrifice for her.

If your actions can only be controlled by feelings, and not by conscious choice, then you have once again abdicated responsibility for your life.

In psychology

In psychology there is one interesting test for children. The child is shown a picture of a boy tripping over a bench. The psychologist asks the question: “Who is to blame?” Children 3-4 years old usually answer - a bench. After 5 years they answer: the boy who did not see the bench.

This is a test of inner maturity. But there are also many reactive adults whose attitude to life is like that of three-year-old children, and the bench is to blame for everything, i.e. external factors.

In management

In the West, there are many tests and trainings for proactivity. Since this is considered one of the main qualities of successful managers and leaders. Unfortunately, in Russia they view this differently, and sometimes proactive people are considered upstarts with high ambitions.

But in fact, employees with such qualities are not only able to climb the career ladder, but can also move the entire company forward. Since proactivity is one of the conditions for effective implementation of tasks.

I hope this information was useful to you, and you learned something new and interesting for yourself. Leave your comments and share with friends on social networks. Sincerely, Ruslan Tsvirkun.

If you simply react to circumstances based on your feelings, then your behavior is reactive. For example, if the weather is bad outside, your mood drops. If it's sunny and bright outside, your mood lifts. That is

How do you react when you encounter problems or difficulties in life?

Do you give in to your feelings or do you try to restrain yourself from emotional outbursts?

If you simply react to circumstances based on your feelings, then your behavior is reactive. For example, if the weather is bad outside, your mood drops. If it's sunny and bright outside, your mood lifts. That is, reactive people depend on external circumstances and the environment that influence them. In addition, such people tend to complain about their lives and problems. They expect problems to solve themselves.
If you choose your reaction to current events based on your values, and minor troubles cannot ruin your mood, then your behavior is proactive. For example, your value is the quality of the work performed. And if you have done a good job, you will be in a good mood regardless of external circumstances. Here your emotional state will depend only on yourself. Also, proactive people take responsibility for current events. Instead of complaining, they ask themselves: “How can I change this situation? What should I do to solve this problem?

What behavior do you think a leader displays?
Naturally, proactive!

Want to determine whether you are a reactive or proactive person? It is very easy. It is enough just to listen to your speech.

Reactive people use the following expressions:
- I would like to do this, but I don’t have time;
- I do not have the necessary information;
- I haven’t done this before and I don’t know anything about it;
- I don’t have the necessary connections;
- I don’t have money to start this business;
- they still won’t support my proposal;
- no one needs this;
The danger of such statements is that over time these statements become self-fulfilling predictions. The more you use reactive statements, the more you convince yourself of your own irresponsibility and inability to influence your life. What you focus on most is what shows up in your life.

Sound familiar?

If yes, start listening to your speech and changing reactive statements to proactive ones:
- how can I allocate time for this activity?
- where can I get the necessary information?
- how can I find out more about this?
- how can I get the connections I need?
- where can I get the necessary financial resources?
- how to change or improve your proposal so that it is supported?
- what can I do myself to improve the situation?

Circle of concern and circle of influence.

According to Stephen Covey, a leading foreign consultant and author of the global bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”
CIRCLE OF CONCERNS
- in everyone’s life there is something that we influence (circle of influence);
- in everyone’s life there is something that concerns us, but what
we are not yet able to influence (circle of concerns).
CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE
Unfortunately, what we care about very much is not always included
into our sphere of influence.
This state of affairs causes all kinds of discomfort, leads
to suffering and dissatisfaction, decreased efficiency
actions, loss of joy in life, a drop in the overall level of well-being.
Proactive people always focus on their circle of influence, on what they can personally change. And reactive people focus most on those things that they cannot change. And, accordingly, they simply complain about the circumstances.
By focusing on what you can change, you will expand your circle of influence.
By focusing only on your circle of concerns, your circle of influence will narrow because you will only complain.

How to become a real leader?

Firstly, be a proactive person, take responsibility for your actions, do not give in to momentary emotions, look for ways out of difficult situations.
Second, focus on your circle of influence. How you can influence the situation - use time management skills, set goals, manage complex tasks, take control of your time and your life.
Thirdly, form the right attitude towards problems and mistakes - admit and learn a lesson from what happened, do not focus on the emotional aspect (guilt, anger or aggression, disappointment, etc.). Any experience is valuable precisely because it is experience!

Tasks:
1. Every day, if possible, do a simple exercise: watch your reactive statements, ask yourself questions: “How can I change this situation?” In any situation that requires resolution, look for those sides of it that you can influence.
2. Start keeping a Success Diary - in your diary or in a separate notebook, write down at least 5 successes that you achieved that day every day. These could be your achievements, compliments from others, pleasant emotions, projects and tasks that you were especially successful with.

How to change the model of thinking and behavior - from reactivity to proactivity? Following Stephen Covey's advice, let's examine our thinking, attitude and behavior, and then rebuild the foundations.

Analyze which areas of your life you devote most of your energy and time to. Every person has his own “set” of main concerns and important questions. All people are different: for some it’s family and children, for others it’s education and career, for others it’s social activities or solving environmental problems, etc. Covey suggests putting everything that worries our consciousness but is beyond our control. called the Circle of Concerns. And everything that we can completely control is in the Circle of Influence. Then we look at which circle contains the things that we consider most important to ourselves. Reactivity is attention to concerns, and proactivity is attention to influence.

A key indicator of the level of proactivity is a person’s speech. “Well, what can I do about this?”, “I can’t change my character,” “I don’t have enough time,” “I have to do this” - all these are the thoughts and judgments of reactive people. A proactive person thinks and says: “I can”, “I will do”, “I choose”, “My decision”. He is always looking for a constructive solution. Pay attention to what you say and what others say. Mentally note how often you hear and say phrases like “I can’t,” “I have to,” “if only.”

Imagine a situation in which you may find yourself in the near future and you are likely to behave reactively. Work through this situation from the position of your influence. What reactive reaction is classic for you in such cases, what consequences does it lead to? What could be your proactive response? Take the time to get a clear picture of yourself reacting proactively. Remind yourself that between the stimulus and the subsequent reaction lies freedom of choice. Make a promise to yourself that you will constantly practice this freedom - to choose an informed decision with positive prospects.

Choose one of the problems that bothers you the most. This could be a work or personal problem. Establish its category: the problem is under direct control, under indirect control, or beyond your control. What is your first step towards solving a problem in your Circle of Influence? Determine and take this step.

Constantly remind yourself that you have a choice. Is it your responsibility to get up in the morning and go to work? Let's say you stop showing up at the office and spend days lying on the couch. What will happen? You will not have a career, you will not receive a salary, your family will have nothing to eat. Do you like this scenario? Most likely not, so you get up and go to work - and it's not an obligation, it's your choice. If you want something different, then a new proactive choice must be supported by specific actions (get a new education, improve your qualifications, open your own business, establish a daily routine, put things in order, change your style of communicating with people, etc.).

See every event as an opportunity to take another step towards your goals. Every day we make many decisions. Some of them are proactive, but most are still reactive. Steadily change this balance in favor of proactive reactions and behavioral responses. Don’t give up what you started - the decision to think and live proactively will “make” you a new way of life, give you a more interesting circle of friends and a lot of opportunities.

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Proactive vs. reactive? It seems that it makes no difference if both words contain an “active” term. But it's big! Reactive and proactive approaches to life are so different that you not only need to understand the difference between them, but also strive for the predominance of one behavioral pattern. But which one?

Proactive vs. reactive thinking: which is more important?

First of all, let's understand the terminology.

Proactive person- This is someone who relies only on himself. In any event, he evaluates his actions, his actions and his decisions. The influence of the surrounding world is insignificant for him and is minimized.

Reactive Personality, on the contrary, is inclined to blame any circumstances that get in her way. Even bad weather, even colleagues, even children. There is always some source of interference that prevents you from achieving the result.

In more scientific terms, the reactive and proactive approaches differ in their reliance on resources. A proactive person sees himself as the source of resources, a reactive person finds them outside.

From the terminology it is clear that reactive and proactive behavior, despite the beautiful common root of the word, are very different. What's next?

Proactive and reactive people: achieving results

Reactive and proactive behavior pattern determines everything.

Family communication.

Behavior at work.

Prerequisites for career growth.

Tendency to plan.

Any area of ​​life depends on the chosen behavior pattern.

All successful people “go and do it.” They are results-oriented and therefore proactive.

They calculate moves ahead, assess risks and always have an alternative plan of action. They need this so that no external factors affect their movement.

Proactivity is, first of all, responsibility towards oneself and the decisions made. And only then activity in terms of implementing plans.

Proactive or reactive: test

Proactive/reactive attitude is easily assessed using a simple test. In it you need to select phrases that a person uses in different situations.

You need to try on both options and choose your preferred one. And evaluate the results.

You should not strive to choose those combinations that never flash in your head or sound out loud. This is not true. And it won’t help to give a true definition of the type of behavior.

Proactive	Reactive
I will strive to change this	It's unlikely that anything can be done about this
I'll change their minds	It is unlikely that they will be convinced
I don't really like the people I work with, but not so much that I take it personally	My colleagues annoy me
I go to work	I have to go to work
I decided that I would do just that	I have to do this because...
I will find time to devote to these matters	I would help, but I don't have time
I'll figure out where to find funds to start the project	I have limited financial resources and will not be able to start this project.
It’s strange that few people are interested in this; what can be done to make it beneficial?	Nobody needs this, well, I won’t do anything
I need connections. I'll figure out where to find them	Certain connections are needed here. I do not have them
I will prove that no one can do this job better than me.	I won't be trusted with this job

What if there are “reactive” phrases in the list?

Work with it.

There is a simple algorithm for increasing proactivity, and if you follow it, you can achieve a lot.

7 steps to a proactive personality

Each of us has traits of both proactivity and reactivity. It's just a behavior that can easily change.

Okay, not easy. But it is changing.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate yourself in every possible situation:

• Am I being reactive or proactive?
• What is the correct behavior algorithm?
• What can I do to become more proactive?

This is the first step.

1. Introspection. Evaluate not only the situation, but life in general. An environment that, as we know, shapes us. Habits of loved ones. Typical problems. Constant affairs. Problems that need to be solved.
2. Working with tasks. After self-analysis, choose the most important task and take a series of actions on it. Among them there should be a plan to achieve the goal. Tell your loved ones about your plan.

Making commitments out loud forces us to act proactively.

Learning from the experiences of others. Movement towards the goal.

So, it turned out 1+6 steps to a proactive life. Total 7.

Simple and accessible to anyone.

All that remains is to make them.

Instead of output

The essence of a proactive and reactive approach to life is clear.

Some act.

The second ones groan.

There is no need to comment on who achieves the goal.

All that remains is to decide which path is yours. And give examples of your own proactive and reactive behavior, if you manage to catch them in current affairs. Simple analysis, but will it work? Write in the comments.

Increasing the efficiency of the sales department in 50 days Ryazantsev Alexey

Reactive and proactive models of behavior in business

An extremely important point is forecasting the market situation. It is necessary to regularly analyze the market in order to identify new customer needs and new trends, and test new products. In this regard, I will give an example of the well-known company Kodak. Do you remember the last time you heard about her? Today, few people know about this company because it made two mistakes in a row in strategic planning. At first, Kodak did not believe in digital cameras and decided to continue producing film cameras and remained in this segment (the production of digital equipment was expensive at one time). But time has shown that digital technologies have replaced film technologies by 99%. For the second time, the company didn't believe in cell phone cameras: if they only cost a few dollars, what can you make from them? But manufacturers did not take into account the gigantic volumes of innovation - now almost every phone has a camera.

Exist two models of behavior in business:

1) reactive. Analyzing the example of the Kodak company, one can understand that its behavior in the market was reactive: the reaction to changes was late. If the company had invested at least in cameras for mobile phones, it might not have had time to skim off the cream, but would have remained afloat;

2) proactive. This means looking further and analyzing the essence of things, predicting the chain of events and customer needs, testing and trying everything new. Here it is especially important to “catch the wave,” and to do this you need to look for it.

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