The Power of Initiative: Why the Best Employees Don’t Wait to Be Told

Tom Ogden
Jun 11
3 min read

I have searched far and wide for employees who can take action without being told, people who quietly solve problems instead of passing them up the chain of command. Such rare individuals are like having an extra manager on your team because they are managing themselves. They get stuff done in half the time, and with little or no guidance from management.

That’s a win for the manager, their peers, and the entire company.

Two of my favorite authors who speak directly to this kind of initiative are:

Liz Wiseman, in Impact Players, who highlights hard-to-train behaviors.
Dave Ramsey, in EntreLeadership, who teaches personal responsibility through the metaphor of "monkeys."

Impact Players and the Unteachable Edge

Liz Wiseman teaches that while many skills can be trained, initiative must be cultivated from within. You can’t coach it, bribe it, or shout it into someone. It comes from deep inside.

For example, an impact player is the kind of employee who can "step up" without needing permission. They see the need, and they just do it. They understand what lies within their purview, so as to not offend leadership, and they take care of the need on their own. Impact players do work that elevates everyone else's work as well. They see the big picture and take ownership over outcomes, not just tasks.

Hard-to-teach, initiative-driven traits include:

Maintaining momentum without external motivation.
Adapting when roles or rules are unclear.
Spotting problems before they escalate.
Leading without formal authority. These people don’t wait for assignments—they step into the gaps.

EntreLeadership and the Monkey Metaphor

Dave Ramsey describes every problem as a monkey. When you bring one to your boss, don’t leave it on their desk. You can ask for advice—but take the monkey with you when you leave. A monkey left behind is a burden transferred, not a problem solved.

Ownership means presenting problems with a proposed solution, then following through until it’s resolved. This especially means avoiding the “not my job” mindset, which is so common in the workplace and, frankly, the bane of the free market economy!

You can’t train this into someone who defaults to blame or passivity. Culture helps, but initiative has to be chosen.

Cultivating a Culture of Initiative

Here are four ways to foster initiative in yourself and your team:

Lead by example: Show initiative consistently as a leader. Make it your first priority to take time with each of your direct reports on at least a monthly basis. Get to know each of them and anticipate their needs.

Likewise, spend time with your leadership or stakeholders. Get to know more than their stated requirements, but what is the logic or culture behind them. Take action that reflects that understanding.

Set expectations: Make "work ownership" and "initiative" part of performance reviews and recognition. Add them to the list of competencies evaluated in every review. Likewise, teach it beforehand, so the employees understand the expectation.

That also means no "self evaluations," which in my opinion is not just a cop-out on the part of management, but an insult to the intelligence of all the best employees.

Reward problem-solvers: Celebrate those who take action—not just those who complete tasks. It's not just "doing your job" that you want to celebrate. You want to point out those who are "elevating the office" and "stepping up" without needing permission.

Hire for it: Finally, screening candidates should prioritize those showing the ability to own the problem and to act. When you find someone who casts blame or shows a passive disposition, you might want to keep looking.