LEARNING SPACE
Module 2 “Am I a leader?” – Leadership skills
Unit 3: Being proactive?
Characteristics of Proactive and Reactive people
In this sub-unit we are going to see the characteristics of the two types of behaviour, presenting them in the table below:
| Proactive | Reactive |
| DO NOT BLAME anyone or anything
MAKE their choices based on values Value based choices Stay focused on their values Take action about things they can control Take responsibility |
BLAME circumstances and conditioning
MAKE their choices based on feelings BUILD their lives around others’ emotions Find difficult to stay focused as they are dependent on others Complain about things which are out of their control |
Reflect on the above characteristics, and remember them while establishing your team you will be working with.
According to Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 habits of highly effective people, “Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance. Proactive people carry their own weather with them.”
On the other hand, when we talk about proactive people, we need to bear in mind, that they concern themselves with things are inside their sphere of influence, instead of getting disturbed by things they do not have control about.