Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to get on to doing it.  Success does not come to those who sit back and wait, which is why great leaders are always taking initiative to think about what they can do to get what they want.  In what way are you thinking creatively about future needs and opportunities?  In what ways are you evaluating options and choosing to move ahead in a manner that will bring value to others and profit to you?

In a class on initiative at the College of Executive Coaching, we discussed the importance of regularly setting aside time to consider the following four questions.

Assess Your Initiative:

1. What are some of my best opportunities?
2. What action have I been taking to move forward on these opportunities?
3. What am I doing to move beyond obstacles that might be related to these opportunities?
4. How much time am I engaging in activities to move on some of these best opportunities each week?

If, when answering these questions, you find that you either don’t know what your best opportunities are, or you’re not taking action to move forward on them, reassess how you’re spending your time.

Sometimes people are hesitant to take initiative because they fear the unknown.  But the mere act of taking control and proactively reaching for your goals will help quell those fears, and make it even easier to take initiative in the future, bringing you that much closer to your eventual objective.  What are you waiting for?