# Quick Spoon: Proactivity might not be what you think Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-soup-971297/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-soup-971297/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think.md Podcast: [People Soup](https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-soup-971297) Published: 2026-06-26T09:30:00+00:00 Episode link: https://peoplesoup.captivate.fm/episode/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/db4e48ed-b274-43f4-a806-39ec118d7540.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/people-soup-971297/episodes/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think Duration seconds: 94 ## Resource What does it really mean to be proactive? In this Quick Spoon , Ross reflects on a key insight from his conversation with business psychologist and author, Dr Joanne Gray. Many organisations say they want proactive employees, but we often confuse proactivity with simply being helpful or saying yes to every request. Jo explains that real proactivity is different. It's about spotting opportunities to improve things, taking initiative, and creating positive change before someone asks you to. Ross explores the difference between reacting to what's already happening and making space to shape what happens next. Something to Reflect On Am I spending most of my time responding to what's already happening... ...or am I creating even a small amount of change for the future? Listen to the Full Episode Powering Workplace Proactivity with Dr Joanne Gray People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Full episode - Powering workplace proactivity with Dr Joe Gray – on Apple Podcasts Find Joe on Instagram The Progress Lab | We’re on a mission to make workplaces work better, helping people & organisations unleash their potential. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn Joe's website - Powering Proactivity Joe's Book - Powering Workplace Proactivity Visit Ross'  Website. Connect with Ross on  LinkedIn People Soup on  Instagram  which also features plenty… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/people-soup-971297/episodes/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-soup-971297/quick-spoon-proactivity-might-not-be-what-you-think.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.