You’re right!!. I checked there is no such a word. In fact google it and you only find reference to overreact. Isn’t that interesting. Isn’t that a reflection of so much.
We have a word for “ responding more emotionally or forcibly than is justified” ( dictionary definition for overreactive).
But none for being overly proactive.
The definition for proactive is “creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened”
What a contrast of meanings.
Working as a Business Coach you often come across the former situation. And rarely see enough of the latter. Why is this?
Why aren’t we much more proactive? Why don’t we overproact?
So what does this mean for us in practical terms?
Let me ask you all to do something first. Write down how much of your day yesterday you spent reacting?
Reacting to every email that entered your inbox.
Reacting to every phone call you received.
Reacting to every interruption you received from a work colleague, that diverted you from what you wanted to do.
Reacting to an operational issue.
Reacting to a customer issue.
Reacting to a comment someone made about your work.
Reacting to some feedback you received from a colleague.
Reacting to the queue in the coffee shop when you just needed a fix quickly.
Reacting to the driver who cut in from the bus lane to skip the queue.
Reacting to the latest headlines on the IMF crisis.
Need I go on?
Now the real question. How much time were you proactive?
Proactively planning your day?
Proactively anticipating crises and how to deal with them as they arise.
Proactively looking at your business and realising that there were changes necessary and that if implemented would eliminate cost, and time wasted.
Proactively looking at your personal development and planning when and which course/skill you will acquire.
Proactively looking at your team and assessing their needs for development.
Proactively looking at your sales mix and realising you need to inject new product lines.
Proactively talking to your customers and asking them what they need
No I don’t live in the 3rd dimension. I do know what it is like to run a business and the challenges it throws up daily. Yes I have been that soldier and been the very embodiment of Mr. Overreact. Spending half my time chasing my tail doing stuff that upon mature reflection was avoidable.
However I eventually realised that this was unsustainable and highly damaging to the business and my team.
Learning to overproact was a necessary step I had to take. And you know what? It was quite simply transformational.
Try it and you’ll see. The sheer sense of control you experience when you feel that you are determining your own agenda, is liberating.
Go on liberate yourself. Overproact.
Actions.
Start today by analysing your reactions to your work and your team. Are you getting to your lunch break and feeling that you’ve achieved nothing? Chances are you have been reacting.
