initiative

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
initiative/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/

▶noun

• 1 the ability to initiate or begin something.

  ■ the power or opportunity to act before others do: we have lost the initiative.

• 2 a fresh strategy intended to resolve or improve something.

– phrases
on one's own initiative without being prompted by others.