Proactivity, the living and active skill

It’s not doing a lot. It’s not even having a spring-loaded show of hands. Proactivity is knowing how to act before things happen. It’s the art of reading weak signals, predicting problems and taking action without anyone asking. If you’re thinking of a LinkedIn version of Nostradamus – “Strategic foresight since 1503, author of predictions that no one understands… until they happen” – you’re like an 80s Jeep… way off track. As Mary Poppins would say, pulling a fire extinguisher out of her purse: “Proactivity is not a fire to be put out, it’s a match not to be lit.

From the coffee machine to the printer room, from the reception desk to the bathroom antechamber, office legends about this skill move fast and uncontrolled, passing from mouth to mouth like company gossip. It is said that:

• It's an innate gift → No sir, instead it can be learned and trained.
• It is synonymous with hyperactivity → But acting a lot ≠ acting well and in advance.
• It is only used in positions of responsibility → Even an intern can be proactive (and shine).

In short, in the corridors, proactivity is often poorly told. It is up to us to rewrite the story, equipping ourselves with the right tools to recognize and cultivate it. Because true talents do not wait for the problem to arise. They go towards it, like the “Professor” in Money Heist, with a plan in their head to deal with them.

In a stable environment, being proactive is useful. In an unstable environment, it is essential. Today, companies operate in changing contexts like those dreams in which everything changes every time you walk through a door. And if you turn around to go back, poof, the door is gone. In such a scenario, you cannot wait for the written order or the perfect brief. You need clarity, intuition and the habit of acting before the context changes again. Those who are proactive:

• Intercept critical issues before they become crises.
• Accelerate innovation.
• Increase team cohesion and resilience.

In practice, a proactive person is one who, when the context changes shape, does not turn the map over and over again to understand if there is still a valid path, but draws a new one as soon as he or she senses that changes are about to manifest themselves. And it is precisely this flash of anticipation that makes the difference.

Proactivity is an alchemical mix of transversal skills. It does not arise from a single attitude, but from the combination of multiple skills that, acting together, transform a reactive behavior into a strategic attitude. Within this blend we find:

• Critical thinking, to read the situation clearly and recognize weak signals;
• Personal initiative, to act without waiting for instructions;
• Systemic vision, to assess the medium-long term consequences;
• Time management, to understand when is the right time to intervene.

Just like in an alchemy laboratory, what matters is not only having all the ingredients, but knowing how to dose them in a harmonious and calibrated way. Because being proactive does not mean doing more, but doing better and sooner, with a clear intention and well positioned in the context.

And precisely because it is born from the interaction between skills that are developable, observable and measurable, proactivity can be trained. It takes method, it takes experience, it takes tools capable of simulating real scenarios. Only in this way, from a rough mix of skills, can that transmutation be triggered that makes instinctive action a conscious choice. It is there that proactivity stops being a rare gift and becomes gold for the organization.

You can read all you want about this skill, but if you don't experience it in context, you don't really develop it. Being proactive means act under pressure, in complex environments, where time is short and variables are many. Only immersive experiences, which simulate realistic scenarios, put you in a position to take the initiative without following a script. It's not enough to know what to do. You have to try it, make mistakes, understand, correct. Better to do it in a simulated context, right? That way you can dare without risking doing damage.

Gamified simulations are shortcuts to awareness. Because in those games you are not passing the time: you are deciding, taking risks, collaborating, solving. The dynamic is this:

1. You enter a realistic simulated scenario
2. You find yourself faced with a challenge that breaks the mold
3. You have to act before something goes wrong
4. Understand how your mind really works

Every choice you make becomes feedback about who you are. The proactive reflex is like muscle memory: it is not instinct, it is trained technique. The more you train it in realistic scenarios, the more natural it will be to use it when you really need it. And immersive simulations can offer that progressive load to transform every uncertainty into confidence, every slowdown into momentum.

You don’t need a 90-minute psycho-aptitude test. Three well-posed – and well-reasoned – questions are enough to begin to understand whether in your daily professional life you act in advance or by reaction. Ready? Go!

If you only take action when the problem has already manifested itself, you are a great firefighter. But proactivity requires another approach: that of the bomb disposal expert.

Proactive people don't wait for the alarm: they watch for weak signals and take action before the sirens sound.

But you can only do this if you can “read” a situation and predict its critical issues before they materialize.

Those who wait for the perfect brief risk being stuck. In a complex and uncertain world, personal initiative makes the difference.

Proactive people don't seek permission, they seek leverage. They launch ideas, take the first step, explore gray areas.

This is because they are able to identify an appropriate margin of action on their own.

Proactivity is not acting randomly or out of frenzy. It is acting quickly, yes, but with full knowledge of the facts. It requires speed, of course, but also clarity. Those who are proactive have trained timing, because critical thinking guides them.

He can distinguish between an emotional reaction and a conscious decision.

Do you recognize yourself in the answers to these questions? Great, then keep training.
Do you have any doubts? It's okay, come on, because awareness is already a first step. And if inside you said "I would like to be more", here's some good news: you can, you just need to train.

Ok, so far we have talked about individual proactivity. But now it's your turn to lead teams or evaluate people: are you really creating a context that favors it?

Do this mini-check:

• Do I encourage those who prevent or only those who solve?
• Do I leave room for initiative or do I discourage it without realizing it?
• Do I reward ideas or just perfect execution?
• Can I distinguish between those who are activated and those who react well but with a delayed reaction?

If you put even just one “ni”, maybe it’s time to review the formula. Because talent must not only be found: it must be cultivated. And proactivity, like certain lactic ferments, gives its best in a lively, active, stimulating environment.