I’m often asked what I look for when interviewing a candidate. The number one question I ask early in the hiring process is; “Tell me about some times when you have showed initiative in previous positions.” People with great initiative will have dozens of examples and from there I can continue to explore if the person will be a good fit for the position. If a candidate asks, “What do you mean?” and then struggles to tell me about something they were asked to do, I know I probably don’t have the right person in front of me. Here is a short story that illustrates what it means to show initiative.

There was a promotion available at a company and the boss already knew which team member she was going to promote. She also knew that she would have to explain her decision to the employee that was not selected for the job. So she called both of them into her office and asked each of them to do a task for her. She said, Mrs. Johnson needs a 20x30 tent for her party next month, can you please call the rental company and make arrangements for it? The first employee came back later that afternoon and said, “I ordered the tent.”  Knowing she was first to respond, she was feeling very proud of herself.  The next day the second employee came back to the boss and said:  “I spoke with Mrs. Johnson and based on the size of her party and the style of service, I think a 30x40 tent will be necessary and create a better experience.  I used Google earth to measure her backyard.  The tent will still fit nicely and will only cost $500 more. Since the weather has been unpredictable, I also got a quote to add tent sides, air conditioning and a separate catering tent for our prep area and added them to the order.  We can cancel any of those the week before the event if it looks like they won’t be needed.  Mrs. Johnson was also going to order tables and chairs on her own through a different company, so I confirmed that we can have the same order placed through this rental company and it will save her money since it will all be delivered together. Finally, Mrs. Johnson is going to be having some landscaping work done next week, so I suggested she have the workers mark her sprinkler lines so the tent installers won’t damage them when they come to set up.” Hearing the detailed response, the boss smiled and said, “Thank you, that is why I’m giving you the promotion.”

Employee #1 did exactly what was asked of her and therein lies the problem.  Average team members do what they are asked to do.  They don’t ask questions; they simply carry out orders. While it is valuable to have people to do this, they are not the ones that are consistently up for raises and promotions or granted flexibility in their schedule. They are easy to replace and don’t usually make much of an impact. The team members that stand out are the ones that show initiative, that take a step back to understand the big picture and actually help solve the problems at hand with their unique abilities. They are the Awesome Team Members that we love and frequently celebrate.  I feel very fortunate to work with many great people at Footers Catering who are constantly looking for ways on their own to improve our company and the services we provide. I hope you will continue to differentiate yourself from those who are average by showing initiative in everything you do and if you are responsible for hiring in your organization, I hope you can surround yourself with those who strive to make it better every day.