On Leadership Initiative: Everyone is Just Waiting for Someone Else to Do Something
There’s a small reflective exercise I enjoy using to wrap up leadership workshops. I hand out a 3x5 card (shocking, I know) and ask participants to answer a simple question on one side: “If I were acting as an exceptional leader today, I would be doing what?”
After a moment to respond, I have them flip the card over and answer a second question: “The thing keeping me from doing that right now is what?”
The exercise forces us to name the assumptions—real or imagined—that hold us back from the leadership impact we say we want.
Now, imagine applying that same exercise to the most frustrating, annoying, or obstructive issue you’re currently facing at work. Given that problem, what would you ideally be doing as an exceptional leader to address it today? And what, specifically, is holding you back?
Sure, we can list plenty of external forces that limit our action. But these questions also reveal the many ways we can take responsibility and act anyway.
Now, let me offer a short, seemingly unrelated story.
Yesterday, I was on a run past my daughter’s elementary school. It’s early March in the Northeast—there are still feet of snow on the ground. The school’s digital sign flashed a message as I passed: “If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.”
Cute, right?
At this point, however, you may likely be wondering what the heck are you talking about and even what am I getting at with all this?
Together, these two seemingly unconnected anecdotes point to a lived reality for all of us: Everyone is just waiting for someone else to do something.
Whether out of fear, laziness, uncertainty, or indifference, many people—and many leaders—freeze until they are formally “authorized” to act.
Put another way, this is an argument for initiative, regardless of your role, rank, or level of responsibility.
Leaders often express frustration about their team’s lack of initiative. Why can’t people self-manage? Why do they wait to be told what to do?
But this isn’t just a frontline problem. Leaders of leaders say the same thing. Initiative is a universal challenge across echelons and industries.
So, the question becomes: What must we understand—and what must we do—to access this essential component of team effectiveness and leadership impact?
Initiative Clarified
“We must not wait for permission to begin.”
—Brendon Burchard, The Motivation Manifesto
To understand initiative, I often return to Clay Scroggins’ book, How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge. His premise is simple: great leaders lead well when they’re in charge because they were already leading long before they had authority.
Many “leaders” love the comfort of problem identification—“If I were in charge…”—but hesitate to do anything that requires responsibility or effort.
To those people, I say: “Great, thanks for identifying a need. Why must we wait until you’re in charge? How would you like to address it, and where can I help?”
Scroggins also notes that if you always wait for your boss to tell you what to do, then your boss ends up doing their job and yours. And if you’re always waiting to be handed more responsibility, you likely won’t be the person trusted with anything important.
Why? Because leaders trust the people who are already handling the most. They rely on those who take initiative to solve problems they haven’t even noticed yet.
So, let’s define initiative: Initiative is the proactive ability and willingness to take action without waiting for direction. A few clarifying notes:
- Proactive: You have certain skills, some influence (and it doesn’t have to be big), and awareness—a sense of what needs to be done. You don’t need to be told what to do.
- Ability: You don’t have to solve every problem. Start with ones aligned with your skills and interests. There are likely plenty of those to begin.
- Willingness: Initiative is a choice. It’s intentional. It’s leadership that does not need a title to have an impact.
- Take action: Problems can be inconveniences or opportunities. Initiative chooses the latter.
It’s also worth acknowledging that initiative requires taking on additional responsibility. That’s not appealing to everyone—and that’s fine. But initiative is a hallmark of leaders who want to be intentional, create meaningful impact, and improve the conditions around them.
Why Initiative Matters: Momentum, Ownership, and…Yeast?
Three metaphors help explain why initiative is so powerful.
Momentum. Winning begets winning. Energy begets energy. Initiative begets initiative. Small wins create a snowball effect. A spark becomes a fire. When one person takes initiative, others catch it.
Ownership. Consider a home. Who invests more in its long-term value—the owner or the renter?
Owners care, improve, and act with initiative. Initiative is the difference between “not my problem” and “I’m responsible for this place.”
Yeast. A tiny amount of yeast spreads across and transforms an entire batch of dough. Initiative works the same way—one example can permeate a whole team.
The message is simple: Be the source of initiative on your team because it simply starts with your example, regardless of your role, rank, or level of responsibility. Your example is the spark others are waiting for. Again, everyone is just waiting for someone else to do something.
Ok, I’m In. Now What? Five Practical Steps to Lead with Initiative
Let’s make this actionable with five simple steps as a place to start.
1. Be relentless and unreasonable. Don’t accept the status quo. Teams drift—away from standards, accountability, and the willingness to confront obstacles. Initiative challenges the belief that “this is just how things are” or “this is how it’s always been done.” It insists that something can be improved and that you can help improve it.
2. Approach problems with curiosity. Identifying problems is easy. Complaining is even easier.
- But leaders acting with initiative begin with curiosity, not frustration.
They ask:
- What’s really going on here?
- What’s the history?
- What forces shape this problem?
- What am I missing?
Curiosity opens doors that judgment slams shut. So, start with a posture of curiosity, not judgement or frustration.
3. Make a plan—and bring some energy. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Marathon (finish it, not eat it)? One step at a time. You can approach a problem or need with initiative in the same way. Once you understand the problem, break it into manageable steps. Small tasks prevent overwhelm and create visible progress—the fuel for momentum (remember small wins?). Pair that with genuine interest and positive energy, and you create the conditions for initiative to spread.
4. Start and invite others in. You don’t need to broadcast your efforts. People will notice. But as you begin taking action, invite others to contribute where their expertise is valuable. People are busy, and sure, by doing this you’re asking for their time and attention, which can feel daunting. But people enjoy being sought after, needed, and able to add value with their expertise. When you invite others to participate by asking for help, you’ll be surprised how many are not only willing to help but are excited to.
It can be as easy as, “hey, I am working creating a quick reference guide to help everyone upload slides and documents for our staff meeting dashboard more efficiently, but I need some help figuring out how to explain the instructions to get documents uploaded onto the SharePoint page. I know you’re really good at this. Would you be able to walk me through the steps and help me explain it in simple terms for this guide?”
Initiative becomes a team sport when you ask for help.
5. Keep the flywheel turning (“What’s next?”). Initiative isn’t a one-time act; it’s a rhythm. Once you finish addressing a problem, don’t wait for recognition or for someone else to point out the next need. Look around and ask, “what’s next?”
This can take several forms. For individual contributors, move to the next small opportunity as your capacity allows. For leaders of teams, highlight where others are taking initiative, celebrate small wins publicly, and make opportunities visible so people know where they can contribute. But more than anything, always refer back to step #1—do not accept the status quo. Set the standard, communicate expectations, and always see those through to prevent drift. Initiative begets initiative, but high standards and energy do, too.
The goal is to build a culture where initiative is normal—not heroic—where people don’t wait for permission.
A Matter of Permission, Kindness, and Final Thoughts
You may still feel hesitant. Acting without permission feels risky—especially if you’ve had a micromanaging boss, a bad past experience, or anxiety about “what if” outcomes.
Those concerns are valid.
But most leaders would rather rein in someone with initiative than push someone who won’t move.
So instead of asking for permission, inform your boss of your intent: “I’m planning to do X and Y to help address the issue with Z. Before I move forward, do you have any guidance or recommendations?” That’s not asking permission; that’s demonstrating ownership.
And remember, initiative does not require arrogance, aggression, or being a jerk. You can act with initiative and kindness at the same time. Don’t weaponize initiative as an excuse to bulldoze people.
So, here’s your challenge: Identify one problem, frustration, or need in your current environment. Name the smallest meaningful action you could take today to improve it. Then take that action without waiting for permission.
Be the spark. Be the owner. Be the sunshine.
Everyone is waiting for someone else to do something. That someone can be you.
