5 ways to show more initiative in the workplace.
For those who need to prove themselves.
Maybe it’s a new job and you want to be able to show that initiative you mentioned in the interview. Or — no judgment here — maybe you’re in a situation where you need to show a little more initiative to save your job. Whatever the case may be, here are five actionable tips that you can do today to improve that trait, and your overall work life.
1. Propose ideas.
As you’ll soon find out, this goes hand-in-hand with the rest of the tips in this article; but a great place to start nonetheless. You should always be prepared to brainstorm new ideas and bring them to conversations such as meetings. This allows you to stand out from others that might have nothing to contribute at all (red flags to the higher-ups — and yes — they’re taking mental notes). And if you happen to be that quiet one, it’s time to step up.
It doesn’t even have to be groundbreaking ideas for you to be able to contribute to these conversations. Bring some concise, relevant opinions and personal perspectives to show that you’re engaged and ultimately demonstrate that you care.
2. YOU request for the meetings.
I cannot stress this more. If you have the solution to a current problem, or have ideas that you think will benefit the team or company in any capacity, do not just wait for the next meeting. Take some initiative and go up to your boss (or email them) and politely request to meet with them at their earliest convenience, mentioning the fact that you have some new ideas you would like to discuss.
“But I don’t have any new ideas and I don’t want to make stuff up.”
Well, yes, never bring half-ass ideas just for the sake of having these meetings. If there isn’t anything remotely valuable or productive that you can bring to the table, request these meetings to be more of a brainstorming session.
Utilize this time to ask about some projects that your boss might already be contemplating about, but hasn’t announced yet. Bring some questions that could steer the conversation to new ideas and opportunities. This will show how proactive you are and that you’re eager to tackle the next project. In the end, you become more dependable in their eyes.
An example of how to ask for a meeting in person:
Hey boss (or whatever formality you’re comfortable with), I was wondering if we could meet some time today and come up with some new ideas to kickstart the year. I’m curious as to what kind of projects you had in mind and wanted to see if I could assist in any way. I have some time around 3:00pm after I finish what I’m working on. Does that time work for you?
Some sample questions during those brainstorming sessions:
- What did our total revenue look like last year?
- What was the revenue around this time of the month? Do you think we’ll be able to exceed those numbers?
- Were there any products/services that didn’t perform as well as we had hoped? Why was that?
- What can we do to improve that product this year? I can assist with that between my current projects if you’d like.
- Are there any new projects that we’re rolling out in the coming months that might boost our numbers?
- Is there anything more I can do now to help in this process? I’d love to be more involved with these projects to see where they take us.
3. Do more than just the bare minimum.
This one is a bit controversial. Some believe that they shouldn’t be doing more work than they need to, as long as they've completed what’s been asked of them. The common saying being, “They don’t pay me enough to do that.” However, our mindset moving forward should be this:
If I have the time, and I’m already here, I’ll do it.
This requires you to utilize excellent time management skills, in that you shouldn’t be spending too much of your time juggling these additional tasks. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting burned out or not being able to finish what you’ve started. That being said, let’s assume that you’re done with your given tasks for the day and have nothing else to start on. Why stop there?
Instead, spend some time to analyze what you’ve currently completed. Here, you can potentially uncover some new ideas, even for yourself to implement moving forward. Looking at one of these tasks, perhaps there was a more efficient way you could have handled it. And looking at another, maybe you’ve uncovered something from analyzing the results and can propose this to your boss in a meeting you request (see what I did there?).
4. Stay connected.
Here’s another controversial one. Some people don’t believe in being friends with the people they work with, outside of the workplace; especially with the higher-ups. They like to keep their social lives (and social media) separate from their work. Fair enough, I guess.
However, if you’re like me and don’t care about that and have nothing to hide, take some time to connect with the people in your company (especially higher-ups) who you interact with on a daily basis. Consider connecting with them through LinkedIn, as well as following your company page. This shows company pride and a love for its people. Essentially, it’s a form of taking initiative in wanting to build these lasting connections with your work family.
5. Converse regularly.
Not much of a social butterfly? That’s OK. Maybe it’s time you work on your communication skills. I’m not saying you need to talk everyone’s ears off (especially not your busy boss), but show a little more character in your daily work life. Countless employees end up being silent robots, clocking in and out; day by day.
Stand out by simply greeting coworkers when you pass them in the hall. Yes, you initiate the greeting. Show interest in wanting to get to know them, or at least how their day is going. Eventually, you can build on top of previous conversations and be able to ask for updates on certain life events that you know they are going through. It all starts with being a little more engaging each day. You never know what kind of potential value comes out of these connections (more on that in a future article); building a rapport with the people in your workplace can be a great way to demonstrate your likableness and ultimately may be the edge you need, given any sudden situation that involves others having to vouch for you.
“Oh, him! Yeah, I like that guy; he’s a great person to work with.”
As opposed to:
“Oh, him? I’m not sure, I don’t really know him well… He doesn’t talk much.”
We don’t need to know what context these statements are in regards to, but can already see that having someone speak positively about another can result in a much better situation than being known as the “quiet guy”.
Furthermore, this again shows that you care not only about the work that you put in, but the people that you work with. It demonstrates that you’re a great culture fit to the team and company; something that not many people focus on improving when they think about their work life, but is undoubtedly important to the longevity of a given position. Nice.
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At the end of the day, your work life is what you make of it. You can choose to be the silent ghost that drifts in by nine and out by five (six?). If you’re happy with that, great! More power to you. But for those that seek more out of their current position, or need a leg up on others in trying to get a promotion or similar, try these tips and really focus on the small details that you can do today to start making a difference in the long run. After all, we spend most of our week with these people; we might as well make the most out of it.
