The moment you stop waiting
Learning to take the initiative at work can help you build confidence, develop problem-solving skills and become more independent in your professional responsibilities. When you are starting out at work, it is easy to wait for someone more experienced to tell you what to do. You want to get things right. You do not want to overstep. And when everything is unfamiliar, asking for instructions can feel safer than making a decision.
I understand that. I am still developing my own professional skills through my opportunity at IM MORE, after joining through the Youth Guarantee scheme. I have been learning about article writing, research, SEO, WordPress and graphic design. There is a lot to take in, and I do not pretend to know everything.
But I am beginning to recognise an important difference: waiting because I need guidance is sensible; waiting when I could take a useful first step can become a habit that holds me back.
What MMA taught me about initiative
I come from a background in boxing, jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. In a gym, you cannot spend every session waiting for someone else to create your progress. Coaches give direction, but you still need to practise, review your technique and take responsibility for what happens between sessions.
You might notice your defence needs work, ask your coach for a drill, then put the repetitions in. That is initiative: recognising a need, getting appropriate guidance and following through.
At work, the same mindset can be useful. If I notice a draft needs stronger sources, I can research credible references before presenting it. If my content needs clearer structure, I can review the brief and plan an improvement. If I am uncertain about a significant change, I can prepare options and ask for approval rather than making an assumption.
Initiative is not doing whatever you want
There is an important boundary. Being proactive does not mean ignoring instructions, changing a website without permission, sharing confidential information or taking risks beyond your experience.
Good initiative involves judgement. Ask yourself: Do I understand the objective? Is this within my role? Could it affect customers, colleagues, budgets or published content? Do I need a manager to approve it?
For example, I might draft three possible headlines for an IM MORE article independently. That creates something useful to review. Publishing an unapproved article under the organisation’s name is a different decision and should follow the organisation’s process.
Five habits I want to develop
- Read the task properly. Before starting, I want to understand the outcome, audience, deadline and quality standard. Rushing into action without understanding the brief is not initiative; it is guesswork.
- Try a reasonable first step. If I am stuck, I can search for reliable guidance, make a short plan and test an appropriate approach before asking someone else to solve the entire problem.
- Ask better questions. Instead of saying “I don’t know what to do”, I can explain what I have tried, what I found and what decision I need help with.
- Communicate progress. If I have been given responsibility, the other person should not need to keep chasing me for an update. A short, accurate progress report can build trust.
- Learn from the result. Did my approach work? Was the final output useful? What feedback did I receive, and what can I carry into the next task?
The difference between looking busy and adding value
There is a temptation to think being productive means constantly doing something. But useful work is not measured by how many tabs are open or how exhausted you look at the end of the day.
If I spend two hours producing content that misses the brief, that effort does not automatically make it valuable. Taking ten minutes to clarify the outcome, research the audience and plan my approach might improve the whole piece.
The National Careers Service guide to developing skills explains how to identify transferable skills and set realistic development goals. Problem-solving, organisation and communication matter as much as technical knowledge when you are building work experience.
How this helps when you are still looking for work
You do not need an existing job to practise initiative. If you are 18–24 and searching for opportunities, you can start by identifying the kinds of roles that interest you, improving your CV, contacting a careers adviser or choosing one skill to develop.
That does not guarantee an interview or a job offer. Employers make decisions you cannot control. But you can take ownership of preparation, how you apply and how you respond to feedback.
The National Careers Service advice on work experience outlines ways to explore careers, practise teamwork and gain experience, including volunteering, placements and job shadowing.
My seven-day initiative challenge
Day 1 — Choose one task or goal you have been putting off and define the outcome.
Day 2 — Spend 20 minutes researching how to approach it.
Day 3 — Complete a small part of the task independently.
Day 4 — Identify what needs approval, clarification or extra support.
Day 5 — Share a concise update or ask a specific question.
Day 6 — Improve the result using feedback.
Day 7 — Review what you achieved and choose one habit to keep.
A final thought
I am not writing this as somebody who has mastered working life. I am writing it as somebody who has been given an opportunity and wants to make the most of it. I want to become more capable, more reliable and more independent in the way I approach work.
MMA has shown me that confidence develops when you practise and take responsibility for improvement. I want to apply that lesson professionally too. Not by pretending to have all the answers, but by preparing properly, taking sensible action and learning each time.
Your future will not build itself while you wait for the perfect instruction. Start with something useful. Know your limits. Ask when you need to. Then follow through.
IM MORE — Discover. Believe. Become.
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