What do proactive mean

What is the pronunciation of proactive? Browse pro-business. Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes. Image credits.

Word of the Day have a heart of gold. Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, To top. English Intermediate Business Examples Translations. Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content:. Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge. Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans.

Sign up now or Log in. Filters 0. The definition of proactive is someone who takes an active role in dealing with something before it needs to be taken care of. Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory. Proactive steps to prevent terrorism. So, I decided to finally solve the mystery! If you find this useful, consider grabbing a copy of The Proactive Professional on Amazon here. Put in the simplest of terms, being proactive means doing the things you need to do before you need to do them—like regularly changing the oil in your car instead of waiting for it to start sputtering and spewing smoke.

As a result, you experience greater peace of mind and extend the overall lifespan of your vehicle. The minimal investment you make in regularly getting your oil changed pays huge dividends in the long run. Being reactive means you allow circumstances to control you, rather than the other way around. Being proactive at work means always thinking about the future, planning and preparing for what lies ahead.

It means anticipating the expected so you can better deal with the unexpected. It means taking action today to make tomorrow better. Proactive is the opposite of reactive. Actions that are proactive are initiated not in reaction to a situation but instead out of a desire to make a positive change, prepare for a situation, or prevent something from happening.

Proactive is commonly used to describe people who take such actions. Example: Henry credits most of his success to being proactive instead of waiting for opportunities to come to him. The first records of proactive come from the s. People who procrastinate are not proactive —they wait until the last minute to do things. Proactive people do things ahead of time. Specifically, they take initiative, as opposed to simply reacting when things happen.

For example, city officials can be proactive by building up a budget surplus that can be used in times of emergency. A student can be proactive by starting to research a topic that they know will be addressed in upcoming classes. An employee can be proactive by taking actions to address a problem that might happen in the future.