Activity Meta-Program: Proactive - Reactive
Does a person take the initiative, or do they wait for others to take the initiative?
This Meta-Program allows us to predict how much energy someone will invest in achieving their life goals. Additionally, this meta-program tells us how quickly someone begins to act in a particular situation.
Question:
When you find yourself in a situation, do you tend to act quickly after assessing the situation, or do you prefer to study the situation carefully first?
Proactive:
These people are active, they want to get things going, to make things happen. These are people who make history, who change the world. Entrepreneurs, doers, etc. These people go out into the world and explore it, they are hands-on and anything but hesitant. They usually take the initiative first in every round. Of course, it is likely that they make mistakes first, but they are also the ones who do something when others don't dare. They plunge into situations and are good at doing what needs to be done without delay.
Reactive:
These people tend to let things take their course rather than set them in motion. The prototype would be the scientist in his ivory tower. This is more of a passive type. They are reluctant to jump into a situation before they have thoroughly analyzed it. They often act only when forced to. Their motto is: "Don't rush anything!" Bureaucrats often fall into this program: "Don't make any mistakes!" With this meta-program, one gets the impression that things in life just happen. "I am a victim of my environment." These people believe in luck and fate. They spend a lot of time waiting.
Both:
Some people show traits of both expressions. They have the energy to do something for their goals and at the same time are able to see the consequences of their actions in the respective situation.
Inactive:
They neither study anything nor do anything! Their motto: "Enjoy the day and let God be a good man." They tend to ignore events that don't suit them. Such people are rarely found in the business world. They are more likely to stay at home.
These four subdivisions do not, of course, contain everything that exists: refined categories can be introduced as needed, e.g., superactive, reflective, apathetic, etc.
Statistical Distribution
(for the work context, according to Rodger Bailey)
proactive: 15-20%, equally proactive and reactive: 60-65%, reactive: 15-20%
Recognize and Identify
| proactive | reactive |
|---|---|
| Sentence Structure Short sentences: subject, active verb, concrete object. The person speaks as if they have control over their environment. Clear, unambiguous sentence structure. Direct. In extreme cases, they roll over everything like a steamroller. | Incomplete sentences, missing verb or subject. Passive or verbs turned into nouns. Many infinitives. The person speaks as if they are controlled by the world, as if things happen to them, believes in luck or fate. Long and complex sentences. Frequent mention of thinking, analyzing, understanding, waiting, or principal questions. Conditional sentences, would, could, should. Extremely cautious; need to understand and analyze. |
| Body Language Signs of impatience, talks quickly, taps with a pencil, a lot of movement, difficulty sitting still for long | Can sit for long periods without difficulty. |
| Effective Language Patterns Get started; just do it; why wait; right now; immediately; get it done; you can do x; take the initiative; take control; do what you think is right; what are you waiting for; let's hurry up with it. | Let's think about it; now that we've analyzed it; this will make it clear to you why; consider the following; this will clarify it for you; consider your response; you might consider; the time is ripe to ....; you will be lucky with it. |
Examples
- proactive: "I meet with my team once a week."
- predominantly proactive: "I meet with my team when it seems necessary."
- equally proactive and reactive: "I meet with my team to discuss current events. It's important to stay informed."
- predominantly reactive: "You may wonder if it's necessary to meet with the team once a week, but I do it because it's important to make everyone feel heard."
- reactive: “Even if everyone may wonder whether it is really necessary to meet every week, it is important to consider the employees' need to have their opinions heard.”
Criteria
Which words will trigger a physical and emotional reaction in the person?
The terms a person uses are significant to them in a given context. They are 'trigger words' because they are associated with emotions and memories.
Questions:
What do you expect from ... (your work, a house, a partner, etc.)?
What is important to you?
What matters to you?
What is indispensable for you? (What features must a product have for you to buy it?)
What would you like to have, be, or do?
Hierarchy of Criteria
Find out the hierarchy of criteria. Proceed in the same way as when discovering a hierarchy of values.
Effective Language Patterns
Use a person's criteria to gain and maintain their interest. When someone hears their own criteria, they will immediately experience the emotions associated with these words.
