taking initiative
Acting without prompting
Taking initiative means acting on your own judgment without waiting for instructions or permission.
Someone who takes initiative identifies what needs doing and does it: She took the initiative to organize the meeting when no one else stepped up.
The phrase suggests self-direction and proactive behavior—starting something rather than merely responding.
- proactiveActing before problems arise
- boldCourageous and daring
- drivenIntensely determined to achieve
- self-starterOne with initiative
- go-getterAmbitious, driven person
stepping up to the plate · ambitious · enterprising · trailblazing · blazing a trail · pioneering · seizing · seizing the day · leap · spark · momentum · getting the ball rolling · hustle · guts · moxie · plunge · jumping in · first-mover
- work habitspunctuality, attendance, productivity, professionalism, reliability
- initiativego for it, proactive, act now, get started, stepping up
- achievementaccomplished, accomplishing, achieved, achievement, accomplishment
- assertivenessassertiveness, boldness, directness, speaking up, firmness
- dutiesduty, task, obligation, moral obligation, responsibility
taking initiativepassivity
State of non-resistance
deference · subordination · compliance · obedience · taking a back seat
taking initiativepassivity
State of non-resistance
inaction · doing nothing · inertia · sitting idle · sitting on one's hands
taking, initiative, take, takers, retake, retakes, undertake, undertakes, undertaking