Initiative vs. Proactive

Initiative vs. Proactive — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Initiative and Proactive

Initiativeadjective

Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.

Proactiveadjective

Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty

We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.

Initiativeadjective

In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.

Proactiveadjective

descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on events or stimuli or processes that occur subsequently;

proactive inhibitionproactive interference

Initiativenoun

A beginning; a first move.

Proactiveadjective

(of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens

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Initiativenoun

A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.

Initiativenoun

The ability to act first or on one's own.

Initiativenoun

An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.

Initiativenoun

readiness to embark on bold new ventures

Initiativenoun

the first of a series of actions;

he memorized all the important chess openings

Initiativeadjective

serving to set in motion;

the magazine's inaugural issuethe initiative phase in the negotiationsan initiatory step toward a treatyhis first (or maiden) speech in Congressthe liner's maiden voyage
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