Initiative
“Give me an example of a recent incident where you
took the initiative on a project.”
■“We were having a problem with our ordering procedure
with one particular customer. I went to the Web site and
researched it frame-by-frame until I found the problem. I
presented the problem to our technical department, and
we worked out the problem together. I then went to the
customers and trained them on the use of the system. I sat
with them and went through the procedure step by step
until they were able to get the hang of it. Afterward I con-
tinued to follow up until I knew the problem was resolved.”
■“I volunteer as an assistant coach of a basketball team for
youths at risk. I observed that the stronger players were
playing more than the other players but that they were not
necessarily winning. I also observed that the mediocre
players had some talent in other ways, like shooting and
defending, and they weren’t being used. I thought that if
we could mix the strengths of all of the players, we would
have a stronger chance of winning. I took the idea to the
head coach, and he gave me the go-ahead. I held a team
meeting and explained my idea that was met with some
resistance but was eventually accepted on a trial basis. We
practiced and practiced and then began winning games.
We ranked second that year, but if I hadn’t taken the initia-
tive, we would have ranked in the teens. But more than
winning, in the end the players had a real sense of ‘team.’”
■“One successful idea I initiated was a way of encouraging
people to pay their payments on time during the holidays. I
suggested rewarding people who sent on-time payments
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