"Act Or Be Acted Upon"

January 28, 2009 by David Eggleton

"The difference between people who exercise initiative and those who don't is literally the difference between night and day. I'm not talking about a 25 to 50 percent difference in effectiveness; I'm talking about a 5000-plus percent difference, particularly if they are smart, aware, and sensitive to others.

Businesses, community groups, organizations of every kind -- including families* -- can be proactive. They can combine the creativity and resourcefulness of proactive individuals to create a proactive culture within the organization (emphasis added). The organization does not have to be at the mercy of the environment; it can take the initiative to accomplish the shared values and purposes of the individuals involved."

Those are the first and last paragraphs of a section (with the same title) of Stephen Covey's introduction to the first of his habits of highly effective people: Be Proactive. People in a locale realistically can identify shared values and purposes, and can be sensitive to the individuals present. Thus, Covey's statements highlight the opportunity and way to create a proactive culture, known at Woburnite.com as local community wealth.

* and local economies (my addition)