idiom · neutral
take the initiative
/teɪk ði ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/take·the·i·NI·tia·tive
speakingtask2
to act without being told; to do something before others do
Examples
“Young employees who take the initiative often get noticed for promotion.”
“If you take the initiative in meetings, people will see you as a leader.”
“She took the initiative to organise a training session for new hires.”
Band 8 sentence
“To impress senior management, don't wait to be asked — take the initiative on correcting small issues.”
Collocations
- take the initiative to do sth
- show / demonstrate initiative
Word family
take the initiative verb phraseinitiative noun
Common mistakes
take initiative→take the initiative
make initiative→take the initiative
Say it for a higher band
5start things→6be proactive→7+take the initiative
Synonyms
be proactive
step up
Easily confused
be proactive
“Successful managers are proactive rather than reactive.”
Related words
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