The Proactive Executive

It’s clear that mastering multiple types of awareness is central to your career success. Like having a proactive mindset, mastering awareness requires conscious and focused observation and active consideration for what has been observed. If you cannot consider the meaning and impact of these observations in the moment, than do so later. Only then are you in a position to determine what needs to be done and how high a priority it should be. Below, I offer some suggestions to get you started.

• Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be present in the moment—undistracted and focused on what is going on around you. Mindfulness enables you to make keener observations.
• Set aside ten minutes at the end of each day to mentally take note of your observations and important pieces of input you received throughout your day.
• Reflect on both positive and not so positive observations and input, what these mean to you, and where your thinking and behavior are well aligned or need to be modified. This reflection creates consciousness and sets the stage for determining how you can change your thinking and behavior, if needed.
• Periodically, share your observations and input with trusted colleagues to check the validity of your observations.