Story 17: Proactive
The story: They agreed to be more proactive. She messaged the VP directly about possible delays, before it became a problem. He went pale. Now they had a problem. She thought proactive meant flagging early. He thought it meant handling things before anyone else had to know.
What it means for organisations: Proactivity has a direction, and nobody ever says which way it runs. Outward, and you surface things early so nothing lands as a surprise. Inward, and you absorb things quietly so nothing has to be surfaced at all. Both are recognisably the same value. They produce opposite behaviour in exactly the situation where the value matters most.
Where next?
Read the comic as text
The Alignment Gap, Story 17
by Stavros Stavru, Ph.D. (weallagreed.com)
Scene 1: The office
An open office with rows of desks and chairs, a bookshelf, plants, and a hanging lamp. Ally and Axel walk through the office side by side, both in high spirits.
Ally: Let's be more proactive.
Axel: Love it!
Banner between scenes: “What could go wrong?”
Scene 2: The email
A close-up of a laptop on a desk, next to a coffee mug, a notebook, and a potted plant. On screen is an email from Stavros titled "VP Updates: Possible delays," sent to VP@ahaplay.com and the team. Voices speak from off-panel.
Ally (off-panel): You messaged the VP?
Axel (off-panel): Yes, before it became a problem!
Ally (off-panel): Now we have a problem…
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