What does it mean to be a proactive
leader? Does this mean that the leader will just have a wait and see attitude
and wait for things to unravel before him and then react when its late aready?
Of course not! If a leader or manager is
like this he is not anymore a proactive leader but a reactive leader which is
actually very disastrous for an organization.
A Proactive leader/manager should have an
effective self-awareness about his environment. In other words he must always
be five (5) steps ahead of his subordinates , he must be like a radar or a
sonar that detects objects before it gets near.
For example, an effective leader will be
able to detect in advance if his subordinates are dissatisfied with his
leadership or managerial skills. And the moment he detects it in advance he must
competently adjust his leadership and managerial style to address the
dissatisfaction.
But how would he know in advance if there’s
dissatisfaction in his organization? He should always be in-touch with his
subordinates, he should mingle and talk with them for this is one of the efficient methods
on how to have effective awareness in an organization.
It pays to become a proactive leader
because you are able to detect and prevent problem/s before it occurs. You are
able to think and create ways on how to address the problem in advance before
it becomes a full-blown problem for your organization.
Are you a proactive leader? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
