Learning How to Take Initiative
By: Eesha Bhatia (CAS + Wharton ’28)
GRIP: Business in Sydney, Australia
One of the more surprising challenges I encountered during my internship was learning how to take initiative in a professional setting. While the office environment has been incredibly warm and supportive, I initially found it intimidating to approach team members directly and ask for tasks. I always considered myself a relatively confident person. However, this situation felt very difficult. For one, I initially felt like somewhat of a foreigner, for obvious reasons. Moreover, I was concerned about interrupting their workflow or appearing too forward.
Early on, our supervisor had told us that if we wanted to be involved in meaningful work, we would need to actively seek it out ourselves. This initially felt frustrating because I had expected tasks to be assigned to us directly from him. However, I came to understand that this approach was meant to encourage me to take initiative. Stepping outside of my comfort zone, I approached one of the associates to ask if she had any tasks I could help with. She kindly explained that she didn’t have much work at the moment, which was disheartening given how much courage it had taken to initiate the conversation.
Despite feeling discouraged, I made the decision to not let that stop me. After lunch, I approached another associate and once again asked if there was anything I could assist with. This second interaction turned out to be much more positive. I felt noticeably more confident and personable, which helped the conversation feel more natural. Fortunately, he had a task he needed support with, and my fellow intern and I spent the next week working on it. It ended up being incredibly insightful and really helped us learn a lot about the field. I am very grateful that we took the initiative to ask for work.
Through this experience, I learned the importance of taking initiative and being persistent, even when the initial response is not what I hoped for. I also learned that professional growth often requires stepping into situations that feel uncomfortable at first.
Looking ahead, I’m grateful to have developed this skill early in my career. I know that as I take on more senior roles, especially in team-based environments like deal teams, the ability to take initiative will be especially important. It will require me to be proactive and have a willingness to take calculated risks, when the consequences may be much more severe. Developing this mindset now will allow me to confidently contribute and create opportunities for myself.