The Power of Proaction
By: Taylor DeMaio | The University of Florida
In all fields, as in life, being reactive rather than proactive often results in being behind and having to later overcompensate in an array of areas. Whether it be time, money, effort, or reputation, being reactive forces people to stop what they’re doing and generate a plan to handle the situation that presented itself. Reactive plans seldom have a guarantee of effectiveness, and the more time spent developing it at a time when it’s needed will only push a person further behind than they already were. When required to execute a reactive plan, the chances of a potential of negative consequences substantially increase. Common consequences may include poor time and situational management, increased workload, panic, or worsening of the situation — all of which can result in less-than-favorable perceptions of the person’s abilities.
With cause-related campaigns, adopting proactive communication strategies is one of the most beneficial moves an organization can make. Proactive strategies enable organizations to prepare plans and procedures ahead of time, reducing the “frenzy” that can take place if no preparations were made. Proaction also allows organizations to anticipate situations before they occur, which, given the nature of a situation, can prevent a legitimate crisis from occurring. Having the ability to anticipate situations can alleviate stress or anxiety when that situation does arise, or even combat it before it begins. Naturally, it also enhances the organization’s organizational and managerial skills and ensures that the time spent working is as effective and efficient as possible.
To understand how pivotal and advantageous proactive strategies can be, let’s look at a couple of examples of companies and organizations that knew ahead of time how to handle situations proactively.
Back 1982, way before news had the ability (and tendency) to run rampant in a matter of seconds, Johnson & Johnson™ faced a deadly, albeit unique crisis. After consuming the appropriate amount of Extra-Strength Tylenol, seven people died. The cause? The tablets were laced with a fatal poison — potassium cyanide. Because they had prepared crisis management strategies (not necessarily linked to a killer lacing their product with a fatal poison), Johnson & Johnson™ was able to follow the pre-established protocols: remove the product from all shelves across the country, halted production and advertising of the product, and actively collaborated with the police, FBI, and FDA in search of the killer. Afterwards, the company then created tamper-resistant packaging to help proactively prevent the situation from occurring again (Bhasin, 2011).
Had Johnson & Johnson™ not been proactive and prepared, this situation could have turned into a PR nightmare and at least dozens of more lives could have been lost. The way they handled the situation — calmly, professionally, and with a plan, as opposed to in a panicked mindset and trying to figure out what to do while people were dying — is a testament to their proactivity.
On a much larger, though less specifically-targeted crisis, many organizations around the world have taken proactive measures to help address environmental issues our world is currently dealing with. With the debate over climate change “heating up,” Ben & Jerry’s™ has taken a dynamic step in helping proactively reduce the worsening of its effects and has developed a plan to help. Recognizing that climate change is a massive issue that impacts the entire planet, Ben & Jerry’s™ knows that they can’t necessarily solve the problem, but they can help take huge steps and make substantial to not exacerbate it. An as organization that has dedicated large portions of its profits to many different causes, the famous ice cream company “has just adopted a new climate goal across our entire value chain. The goal is part of a growing movement called the Science Based Targets Initiative, a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments.” In addition, they have substantially reduced the amount of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases they contribute by replacing factory equipment that utilizes much less electricity and turns waste into clean energy that helps power their plant. As they’ve said, “If it’s melted, it’s ruined. It’s true for ice cream, and it’s true for the planet.” (“Climate Justice”) Rather than waiting for our environment to get worse and worse than coming up with a plan based on reactions, Ben & Jerry’s™ is being proactive in its efforts to help the world mend itself — one pint of ice cream at a time.
Whether it be in crisis management, general communications, social responsibility, or just life, being proactive is always a beneficial approach. Particular when working for a cause-related campaign, program, or initiative, spending time proactively developing strategic tactics rather than reactively responding has the potential to make an organization greater than it may have ever imagined. In doing so, the cause of their efforts will continue to be their only focus.
