One of the most common complaints we hear from leaders in the Philippines is:
“My team waits for me before moving.”
“They don’t take initiative.”
“I always need to follow up.”
“They don’t think ahead.”
“I can’t trust them to own tasks.”
But when we dig deeper, the issue is rarely capability.
It’s almost always communication gaps that leaders were never trained to recognize.
Here is the real narrative behind “lack of initiative.”
1. Filipino teams avoid mistakes because consequences are unclear
In many organizations, expectations are fuzzy:
- What does “good” look like?
• What is the standard?
• What is unacceptable?
• What is urgent vs important?
• What are the success indicators?
When leaders do not define these, teams default to:
- waiting
• seeking validation
• avoiding risk
• doing only what is assigned
Clarity is the source of initiative.
2. Leaders assume instructions were understood — but Filipino culture says otherwise
In Filipino culture:
- asking questions can feel disrespectful
• asking for clarity can feel confrontational
• speaking up can feel risky
• saying “I don’t understand” is embarrassing
• people say “yes” to maintain harmony
This creates execution chaos even among smart, capable employees.
Leaders must be proactive in drawing clarity out of their teams, not waiting for them to ask.
3. Feedback is avoided, sugarcoated, or delayed — leading to repeated mistakes
European leaders often get confused by Filipino communication because feedback is softened.
Filipino managers often struggle to give corrective feedback because they fear damaging relationships.
The result?
- mistakes repeat
• performance plateaus
• efficiency drops
• culture becomes reactive
Clear, kind, structured communication unlocks performance.
4. Teams can only take initiative when leaders make decisions visible
Leaders often think they are clear, but decisions happen in their mind — not in their communication.
Teams need:
- the context behind decisions
• the reasoning
• the standards
• the priorities
• the sequence
• the timeline
Clarity transfers ownership.
5. When communication improves, initiative becomes natural
We’ve seen this repeatedly across the PH:
Leaders who communicate clearly suddenly see:
- proactive staff
• faster execution
• fewer errors
• improved morale
• higher confidence
• more ownership
• better collaboration
Initiative is not a personality trait — it is a communication outcome.