Information and comments on the essay:
Proactive vs. Reactive – Part 2: Business and political tactics vs. strategy
From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee
Find out more, including where to buy books and ebooks
Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKUVBnVnd3NW9wR28/edit?usp=sharing
#Proactive vs. #Reactive – Part 2: #Business and #political #tactics vs. #strategy
Read by the author:
 |
| Chum For Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters |
Proactive vs. Reactive – Part 2
Business and political tactics vs. strategy
Last week, I talked about how good it was when individuals approached their lives proactively rather than reactively. You often can’t enter an open door of opportunity if you’re not already prepared. However, in groups, too much general proactivity can be disruptive. In stable groups, harmony and respect for traditions can be comfortable and help to bind members together.
In business, an employee is often tempted (or required) to be reactive. They may be content to do what they are told – simply doing their job and then coming back tomorrow and doing the same job in the same way. That is not bad in itself. When the job doesn’t change and the rules are well-known, the same responses in the same recurring circumstances keep things going smoothly.
People who like predictability, and like for things to remain as they were before, can be happy doing this kind of work, especially if they are part of a team and able to share social connections.
I’m not just talking about low-wage or low-skill jobs. A professional is, by definition, expected to be a highly-trained practitioner of a narrow specialty. In fact, you can expect that the more training they get, the narrower their specialty. They go to school and learn a great deal about a field such as architecture or law. And, having mastered the accepted standards of their specialty, they
