Contents

Be Proactive - Introduction

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY

EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
Habit 1: Be Proactive

“Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and

examine the way we see ourselves. It is our
map of the basic nature of mankind.”
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
Be Proactive - Introduction

Proactivity is the habit of Personal Vision

• Be responsible for your life

• Best way to predict your future is to CREATE IT!

• Make choices from values, not from Temporary or

Immediate Feelings
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Underlying Principle:
Individuals are responsible
for their own choices and
have the freedom to choose

•Key Paradigm:
“I am responsible for my
behavior and the choices I
make in life”
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
The Social Mirror

3 THEORIES OF DETERMINISM

Genetic

Environmental factors,
You inherit your
Psychic e.g., your boss, the
personal
weather, areand
tendencies
responsible
character for your
situation
Environmental
The Social Mirror – Example

• Background: 2nd year College

student
• Problem: Family cannot afford
school fees
• Response: Drop out of
school?
The Proactive Model

Freedo
Stimulus m to Response
Choose
I have
can listen
the power
stand
envisionto my
apart
newto
inner
choose
from voice
and know
myself, right from
possibilities
thoughts andwrong
actions

Self- 1 4
Awareness 2 3 Willpower
Imagination Conscience
Stimulus and Response

Not until you can say “ I am what I am today because

of the choices I made yesterday,” can you say, “I
choose otherwise”
Stimulus Response
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
Reactive People

• Blame others
• Get angry and say things
they later regret
• Whine and complain
• Wait for things to happen
to them
• Change only when they have
to
• Make choices based on
impulse
• Are easily offended
Proactive People

• Take responsibility for their choices

• Think before they act

• Bounce back when something happens

• Always find a way to make it happen

• Focus on things they can do something

about, and don’t worry about things
they can’t

• Make choices based on values

• Are not easily offended
Reactive vs. Proactive Language

REACTIVE
• There’s nothing I can do • Absolves us from
• I have to responsibility
• I must • We are the victim
• If only • We are not able to
• I’ll try choose our response –
the situation is driving
us.
Proactive People

PROACTIVE
• Puts actions within • Let’s look at our options
circle of influence. • I choose to
• Does not put the • I prefer
problem “out • I will
there”but “in here”
• I’ll do it
• Identifies parts of
solution with direct or
indirect control areas
Reactive vs. Proactive Language

REACTIVE PROACTIVE
• There’s nothing I can do • Let’s look at our options
• I have to • I choose to
• I must • I prefer
• If only • I will
• I’ll try • I’ll do it
Reactive vs. Proactive – Example

• Background: Working on office

tasks
• Problem: Too many tasks, all
urgent. No time to pursue
personal goals
• Response: How to manage?
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence

PROACTIVE FOCUS

• Focus efforts in the Circle of Influence

• Work on the things they can do something about
• Energy is positive causing Circle of Influence to
increase
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence

REACTIVE FOCUS

Circle of
Influence

• Focus efforts in the Circle of Concern

• Focus on problems they have no control on
• Energy is negative causing Circle of Influence to
Shrink
Circle of Concern/Influence - Example

• Background: Received a
Customer Complaint
• Action Needed: Reply in G8D
within 3 working days
• Response: Reactive or
Proactive?
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence

REACTIVE FOCUS
• Findings should not be
major, minor, rather it
should be an OFI
• Findings should not warrant Circle of
Influence
a G8D, instead should be
RCCA
• Why issue to my Dept?

• Why other department not

included?
• Who agreed to this finding, I
am not aware
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence

PROACTIVE FOCUS
• Acknowledge the complaint

• Call a meeting with relevant

dept staff
• Discuss problem root cause
• Provide containment,
corrective and preventive
actions
• Consolidate the actions and
reply promptly
• Follow up on closure
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence

Outcome of Proactive Focus

• Meet customer 3 days
response time
• Increase customer confidence
that the organization takes
serious view on quality
matters
• Mitigate the problems flowing
to another process or ship out
• Speedy resolve of problem
saving $ for our company
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
Direct, Indirect, and No Control

Problems we face
generally fall in one of 3
areas:
1. Direct Control –
Problems involving our
own behavior
2. Indirect Control –
Problems involving
other people’s behavior

3. No Control – Problems
we can do nothing
about
Direct, Indirect, and No Control

• Whether a problem is direct, indirect or no control,

we can do something to solve these problems.
• Focus on things we can control: change our habits,
methods of influence and the way we see our no
control problems.
Direct, Indirect, No Control - Example

• Background: Environmental
Protection
• Problem: Air, Water and Soil
Pollution
• Response: How to help?
Be Proactive - Introduction

•Introduction

•The Social Mirror

•Proactive Model
•Proactive vs Reactive
•Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence
•Direct, Indirect and No Control
•The Other End of the Stick
•Making and Keeping Commitments
•Conclusion
The Other End of the Stick

We
Whenarea free
• Because to choose
mistakes
proactive ourmakes
happen
person actions
to us, a but
they the in they
are
mistake, our
consequences
circle it,ofcorrect
of concern.
acknowledge these actions
However, are
ourlearn
it and governed
response to by
from it
naturalmistakes
those law. Those is inconsequences are outside our
our circle of influence,
circle of influence
therefore we can choosebut areour
in our circle of
proactive concern
response
to those mistakes

OUTCOME

?
Circle of
Influence
The Other End of the Stick - Example

• Background: Customer
returned one unit to Rel for
destructive testing
• Problem: You know there is a
better technique of testing but will
be accountable if anything goes
wrong
• Response: Follow instruction or
recommend better technique ?
Making and Keeping Commitments

• Honoring commitments to
ourselves or to other shows
proactivity
• When we commit to change our
habits, how much we stick to that
change is a measure of proactivity
• Making and honoring
commitments is the essence of
developing the basic habits of
effectiveness
Conclusion

• Change starts from within

• Highly effective people make the decision to

improve their lives through what they can influence
instead of reacting to external forces

“They cannot take away our self-respect if we

do not give it to them.”