During last Friday’s Lunch & Learn, Erica Frank, one of our Account Managers here at March, gave a very insightful presentation on the importance of implementing proactive behaviors in the workplace and ways to go the extra mile in your work.

In the PR industry, proactive behavior applies to handling work for clients, working with team members, and maintaining relationships with influencers.

First, being proactive with clients means flagging coverage before they see it and staying up to date on industry news and relevant news involving a client’s major competitors. Also, being detailed with all email communication and anticipating questions that clients may have saves time that would be spent on unnecessary back and forth.

Next, being proactive with members of your team means taking initiative when a new request or project comes to the table, and taking on work that interests you rather than strictly working on projects you feel fall into your area of responsibility. It’s also important to double check your work when sending it over to a manager or co-worker. Everything sent should be “client-ready” when it leaves your desk.

Lastly, proactive behaviors with influencers include sending appropriate check-in and thank you emails to keep the influencer informed and to help build relationships. Reaching out to a journalist with positive feedback on their recent article (whether a client is written about or not) goes a long way as well and shows you follow their coverage.

Although we all may be guilty of not taking adequate time to double check emails or scan for coverage, the time proactive behavior saves in the long run is worth slowing down and checking your work one last time.

What do you do to stay proactive in the workplace? Share your tips in the comment section below!