Make the move from reactive to responsive

Reactivity is killing your game. Experience a new sense of confidence with the move to responsive.

What’s the difference?

You might think I’m splitting hairs, but let me assure you: if you want to feel more confident and in control of your game, you must understand the difference between being reactive and being responsive. The difference, in a nutshell, is this: you are reactive when you’re on your back foot, off-balance, not ready for what’s coming next, which leads to poor performance and low self-esteem. Being responsive, on the other hand, is when you’re on your toes, ready to handle the situation when the moment comes.

Which are you?

Do a brief self-assessment. Given the difference between the two, which are you, overall — reactive or responsive? If you’re already doing the proactive work to be prepared when the moment comes, give yourself a high-five and move on to other topics. However, if you would say that you often find yourself more in the reactive mindset, stay tuned for a few more minutes.

Make the move to responsive.

Becoming responsive isn’t hard. It just takes a little practice. A responsive mindset is one that you can learn quickly and master over time. Think of first-responders. These are the folks who are responsive in the moment when their skills and talents are needed. They jump in, as if by magic. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll realize that they have devoted concentrated time and effort over the years to train in such things as first-aid and rapid response. If you’re ready to make the move to take steps toward being more responsive, here’s where you start.

Here’s the concept.

When you’re reactive, your Circle of Concern is bigger than your Circle of Influence. Which means that you are being squeezed by what you are responsible for, or at least what you feel responsible for, without being prepared to meet the challenge.

The responsive mindset, on the other hand, is what some people call being proactive. Notice the difference from the diagram above. In the diagram below, when you’re being responsive, you are actively expanding your Circle of Influence to match what you are, or feel, responsible for. Do you see the difference? It’s not magic, it’s a mindset, and takes some time to master. The challenge is to begin taking steps today to move toward expanding your Circle of Influence.

Take a step.

Ask yourself: what one thing could I do right now to actively expand my Circle of Influence? Then take that realization and do something about it. Just one small step will get you closer to being the powerful, responsive person you want to be.

Key point:

Being responsive is the habit of taking steps to expand your Circle of Influence, so you’re ready when the time comes.

Read more.

I can help you make the move from reactive to responsive.