When organizations promote “initiative” as a core value, they often encounter the “initiative dilemma.” How can you encourage initiative and avoid the typical pitfalls that prevent action?
Encouraging initiative energizes employees to make improvements, solve problems, deal with change, and provide customers with exceptional service. When executives were recently polled about the most productive way for employees to advance, 82% responded with: “Ask for more work and responsibility.”
When employees are asked why they are reluctant to take the initiative, the most frequently stated barrier is their belief that their managers really don’t want them to do so. A Gallup survey of 1,200 U.S. workers cited that 66% of the respondents have been asked by their managers to get more involved in decision-making, but only 14% feel they have been empowered with the authority, resources, and support necessary to be successful in doing so. This is the “initiative dilemma.”
Most employees want new challenges; it increases the meaningfulness of their work and restores their enthusiasm. But they need guidance and support from their leaders before they will take action.
Leaders seek to unleash untapped innovation, creativity, and risk-taking in the workplace, but they don’t specify how their employees may demonstrate this initiative. So, they are confronted with ideas that don’t fit the organization’s priorities or suggestions without specified benefits. The resulting negative reaction by the leader then undermines the employee’s motivation.
To defeat the “initiative dilemma:”
- Share purpose and goals. Everyone needs to know the organization’s purpose and goals, and how his or her work contributes to them. Reviewing these with all personnel increases knowledge, buy-in and commitment.
- Define guidelines for suggestions. When employees realize that they can make a difference because their suggestions are taken seriously, they will take the initiative to offer innovative and imaginative ideas. Request that each suggestion include: (1) a quantifiable benefit(s) produced if their proposal is implemented, and (2) an estimate of how soon after implementation the benefit may be attained. This clarifies how suggestions are evaluated and prioritized.
- Allow the freedom to fail and try again. It is important that employees and leaders consider proposals and mistakes as learning opportunities. When employees know that mistakes won’t lead to retribution, but will instead serve as a basis for learning and further experimentation, they are more willing to take initiative to offer additional suggestions and further improvements.
- Treat every suggestion seriously; even if the idea has little merit, this is a teaching opportunity. Rather than immediately rejecting an idea, which will halt any future suggestions, ask the employee to consider the two questions above or ask for clarification about the proposed benefit.
- If an implemented concept fails to generate the proposed benefit, it’s another teaching moment. What worked well? What needed to improve? Should a revised version be tried?
How are you managing the “initiative dilemma?”
Which of the 3 actions could you improve?
