Difficult situations don’t always bring out the best in most people. One potential key to turning stressful situations into something positive is to plan ahead for unpredictable situations that can happen in the workplace. Anticipating problems and making proactive choices are the best way to stay on top the game in the workplace and throughout your lifetime. In order to stay ahead try follow the four P’s of being proactive
Predict:
Using foresight to predict what problems might occur will keep you from being surprised by an issue at work or in your personal life. Look for patterns in the workplace and in operations but don’t become complacent. Anticipating the same outcome will have you caught off guard if there is a problem. Predicting different scenarios will have you prepared to solve any problem proactively!
Prevent:
After predicting possible issues, use your experience and insight to prevent possible bad outcomes or issues others may not see coming. Do not be afraid to speak up if a problem is arising you may have predicted. You will better your working community by pointing out possible problems before they become major issues.
Plan:
Plan for the future. Ask yourself where you want to end up and backtrack the best possible way to achieve your goal. Having a plan will allow you to take proactive steps toward your goal. Imagine your goal is at the end a of a chain. You take each link as a step to get to your goal. Many reactive people will cycle ideas in a what we call a Vacuum frenzy. This means their thoughts are all over and unorganized. Keeping your thought in a chain pattern will allow you to take them one by one and complete tasks in a timely manner.
Participate:
If you do not participate then the prior steps won’t be effective. Being proactive means you control a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after. Participation is important in all aspects of life and makes the difference between being proactive and reactive. Other steps can be difficult and may take practice but putting in effort and participating is easy and simply takes a little intuition.
Using the 4 P’s of being proactive can have you being more efficient in the workplace. At Focal Point, we are committed to helping business owners grow and thrive within their companies. Our professional development training success programs include; personal, sales, management, time management, perform at your best, strategic leadership skills and superior selling skills. Our individual coaching sessions allow professionals to expand their business skill sets and set a track for continued growth. Contact us today for more information about our business coaching services.