Initiative

At Level 1, initiative begins with showing up and stepping up. You complete assigned work reliably, and you start to spot small ways to contribute beyond your immediate tasks. You may not always act on ideas independently yet, but you're beginning to notice opportunities and build confidence in your voice. You don't need to lead the charge—you're learning how to raise your hand and take the first small step.

At Level 2, initiative looks like consistent, proactive engagement. You take ownership of small problems before they escalate, suggest improvements without being prompted, and look for ways to reduce friction or add value across the team. You don't wait for perfect conditions or explicit permission—you take action, communicate clearly, and follow through.

At Level 3, initiative becomes strategic. You seek out opportunities to improve the team's outcomes—not just its processes. You proactively align your ideas with broader goals, scope out the work needed, and rally others to move things forward together. You think about impact, involve the right people, and help your team focus on what matters most.

At Level 4, initiative becomes catalytic. You recognize critical gaps, emerging opportunities, or organizational blind spots—and you rally the right people to respond. Your efforts span multiple teams, and your actions accelerate outcomes the org might otherwise stall on. You think ahead, move deliberately, and empower others to carry momentum forward.

At Level 5, initiative becomes cultural. You shape how initiative shows up across the organization—what gets noticed, supported, and multiplied. You don't just lead change—you create the conditions for meaningful change to emerge, scale, and sustain. You identify high-leverage opportunities, empower others to act, and embed initiative-taking into the org's mindset, systems, and leadership patterns.