CHAPTER ELEVEN

INITIATIVE: One small step for a man

“Initiative tabafunda” Anonymous

The above is a Bemba expression that simply translates ‘initiative is not initiative if it has to be taught’.

I partly agree with it because the simplified literal meaning of the word is ‘the ability to think and do something without being instructed.’

I have worked with young people from different walks of life for more than ten years; teenagers, adolescents and young adults and I have made this observation. Many lack initiative. We live in a generation where young people have been brought up through spoon feeding. Sadly most of them have grown up without really growing up. We have a society of adolescents sitting idly by waiting for someone else to make life happen for them. If you ask most of them why they sit and do nothing, they will give you the age old proverbial response, ‘there’s nothing to do’. Really?

I often find it very easy to spot a lack of initiative in a group of people for two main reasons; the first is that my father taught me early in life that I should never always wait for someone else to tell me what to do. He taught me how to take responsibility and think for myself. He’s exact words were, ‘do not always wait for someone else to tell you what to do, think for yourself.’ So where ever I am, I always keep an eye out for things that need to get done. I do not claim to be an expert in parenting but this is something I would recommend every parent to do. Impart a sense of responsibility in a child while they are still young and you are assured to have a responsible adult. Most young people today would like to go through a day with a blank to-do list or one that has been handed down to them by someone else. The 21st century has championed a culture of laziness in more ways than one. Employees go to the office every day to sit on a desk and do nothing yet still get to go home with a salary. Most human resource experts will tell you that human beings are most likely to repeat the kind of behavior that gets rewarded. It is therefore no surprise that most companies and especially government offices are filled with an unproductive workforce. They get paid for showing up and answering the roll call.

Initiative and responsibility start the moment you get out of bed in the morning. Will you make your bed before you leave? Or will you pass it off as something someone else can do for you?

This generation needs young men and women with initiative now more than ever. In a society of high unemployment and a lack of social amenities, we have no choice but to start thinking for ourselves and taking responsibility for our lives. It’s either us or nobody will. The choice boils down to you and no one else. One notable thing about individuals that have left a mark on the planet or in their sphere of influence is their ability to think and act independently. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy promised the American people that he would send a man to the moon before the end of the decade. JFK did not just promise but took the initiative to see to it that this promise was fulfilled. On July 21, 1969 Neil Armstrong alighted from the Apollo 11 and set his left foot on the moon and uttered the famous words, ‘One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.’ History was made because someone took initiative.

Ask yourself these questions below;

1. In a group, do I initiate solutions or do I wait for others to tell me what to do?
2. Do I take responsibility when something goes wrong in the home or in the team?

Things to note;

1. Leaders with initiative make good leaders. Leaders without initiative are nothing but puppets.
2. Until you culture yourself to take responsibility and initiate you are not ready to make progress
3. Employers are looking for employees that have a sense of responsibility and initiative

Believe in yourself enough to initiate, we will believe in you also. MOVE