"being pro-active"?

[banmai]

He has a pleasant, reliable personality and certainly has the potential to deliver quality when being pro-active.

Could you help me with the meaning of "being pro-active" in the sentence above? Thank you.

Best regards,
banmai

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Banmai:

(1) "Proactive" is a very popular word in the United States at the present time.

(a) It means something like: to take the initiative. That is, do NOT wait for something good to happen. You do something to

make it happen. Or: do NOT wait for something bad to happen. You do something to prevent/stop it.

(2) As you know, "active" is the opposite of "passive." "Passive" means "Oh, I cannot do anything about X." But "active" means

"I CAN and WILL do something about X."

(3) So the guy in your sentence has the potential (ability) to deliver quality when he is proactive. I get the feeling from your

sentence that he is somewhat passive and has to be urged by others to get out there and fight for X.

 

[SoothingDave]

Those who are proactive don't wait for problems or situations to happen. They anticipate and take action beforehand, to prevent problems.

Those who wait for things to happen and then take action are being "reactive." Like when a street light burns out, the city comes and replaces the bulb.

That's "reactive."

A city maintenance department that replaces bulbs on a schedule (near the end of the bulb's life, but before it dies) is being "proactive."