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Alec Zopf's avatar

I can't tell if I love or hate this. Proactivity is such a wonderful trait. Perceiving a need, acting upon it intelligently, knowing when to take charge and when to surface a problem to the current owner; all of these can dramatically improve the performance of a company.

On the flip side: repeatedly swooping in to drop a fast but mediocre solution to a problem already being solved better but slower (and thus stop the better solution in its tracks) can kill a company's long-term power. Duplicating efforts in uncoordinated ways can waste resources and kill morale.

How can an organization best enable everyone to be proactive, thoughtful, and aligned?

Or is that a false utopia, and the only realistic way is hire enough proactive folks and let them duke it out?

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Auren Hoffman's avatar

there are so few truly proactive people. like less than one in a hundred. so usually they so not run into one another.

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Arthur Nisnevich's avatar

Poignant response.

I'd argue "proactive" and "thoughtful" are cultural traits to screen for during hiring. Being "aligned" and "coordinated", however, is the job of management/leadership.

Agency is awesome but shouldn't come at the expense of collaboration. Be wary of lone-wolf heroics that undermine teamwork.

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Raphael Crawford-Marks's avatar

I prefer the concept of “high agency” because proactivity is only part of what makes people highly effective and impactful. https://www.highagency.com/

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Auren Hoffman's avatar

"high agency" is great!

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Honza Kriz's avatar

Great satire!

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