Entrepreneurs Inside – Closing the Gap

by: Susan Foley - September 7th, 2012   Filed under: Accelerating Growth, Corporate Entrepreneurs, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Leaders, Internal Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs Add Comment

One of the best forms of flattery is when someone inadvertently acknowledges something that was right in front of them all along but they couldn’t see it then.  Now they can.

This is a problem that most Intrapreneurs and Corporate Entrepreneurs learn to live with.  What they see others can’t envision. What they describe is difficult for others to fathom?  What they do and why they do it is hard to comprehend.

They find it difficult to close the gap between their vision and what everyone else sees and believes. The more they try to explain something the more frustrated they become. It is hard explaining something that you can see but others don’t.

As John Sculley, former CEO of Apple once said, “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”

Often it takes time to close the gap and get others to adopt what you know to be true.  You probably won’t have the data you need to prove your point.  You may have an idea that upsets the status quo, increases risk, shifts the balance of power, or threatens others in the organization.  All of these can be a show stoppers.

Instead you need to be guided by your own inner compass.  You must take action and learn from that action.  Not everything you do will be right but it will lead to a better path down the road. You need to move on.  You must believe that eventually others will follow and see what you see.

Several years ago I wrote a book titled Entrepreneurs Inside that described what it takes to be an entrepreneur inside of an existing organization.  The book was inspired by a group of senior executives who were entrepreneurs inside their organizations building million and billion dollar businesses.  They inspired me with their stories and they encouraged me to write a book, they said they wanted their organizations to know what it was like being an entrepreneur inside of an established organization.

The book appealed to the true internal entrepreneur. They could relate to it, they could see themselves in it, they understood the challenges, and they had experienced the same frustrations.  Many of them saw themselves more clearly for the first time. They resonated with the idea that they were not alone, that there were others out there. Traditional managers and leaders didn’t get it. They couldn’t see it.

Now that organizations have come to acknowledge the power of entrepreneurs the more recognition and attention internal entrepreneurs are getting.  So I was elated to hear that Babson College and The Business Innovation Factory are now putting their focus on internal entrepreneurs, even calling their new program in the Entrepreneur Experience Lab – Entrepreneurs Inside.  Flattery can be a double edged sword but closing the gap provides the biggest rewards.

Since writing Entrepreneurs Inside I’ve written a new book Acceleration: Changing the Speed of Growth for individuals who want to find out if they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur inside an established organization.  It is another step in closing the gap.

Find out if you have what it takes!

Internal Entrepreneurs – Accelerating Growth II

by: Susan Foley - August 19th, 2011   Filed under: Accelerating Growth, Corporate Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurial Leaders, Internal Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs, Leadership Skills, Social Intrapreneurs 1 Comment

We thought that there were more ‘entrepreneurs‘ out there in large organizations – now we know there are.

Thanks to all of the readers who have downloaded the e-book  Acceleration and taken the Entrepreneur Survey.

A special thanks to those individuals that made the decision to take the Corporate Entrepreneur Profile to see if they have what it takes to be an ‘entrepreneur‘ inside an organization.

The lack of entrepreneurial role models at the top of most organizations continues to stifle innovation and growth. So finding and developing these individuals has become a top priority for organizations that want to accelerate growth.

  • Does your organization need to accelerate growth?
  • Which individuals can help you generate growth?
  • What are the competencies you need to grow?

The rapid pace of change is making acceleration a critical part of everything we do. Like a runner it is not enough to be running fast, you must be running faster over time. The same is true for organizations. – they need to be moving faster in a world that is increasingly more complex and uncertain. But you need more than speed to succeed.

Organizations that want to increase the speed in which they respond to change and acheive business growth will need to develop ‘entrepreneurship’ as a core competency.  The key is developing both the entrepreneurial leadership and infrastructure for accelerating growth.

Acceleration – Changing the Speed of Growth provides an insiders view of ‘entrepreneurship‘ and three things you can do to accelerate growth – activate your people, renovate key processes and transform your culture.  It’s more ART than science!

As organizations begin to see the value of developing ‘entrepreneurship‘ as a core competency there is growing recognition that ‘entrepreneurs‘ are a key factor for organizational growth.

Find and develop your entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs, social Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurial leaders – they have what it takes to activate growth.

Internal Entrepreneurs – Alignment

by: Susan Foley - March 11th, 2011   Filed under: Accelerating Growth, Innovative, Internal Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs 2 Comments

Thanks for the great questions from the readers of the e-book Acceleration – Changing the Speed of Growth  www.corporate-entrepreneurs.com/Acceleration.html.  Given the overwhelming response there may be more internal entrepreneurs out there than previously reported. 

Many of you indicated that you had never thought of yourself in terms of being an internal entrepreneur until you read the e-book.  Our goal was to do just that – awaken the entrepreneur inside of you.

It was clear from your questions and comments that as internal entrepreneurs you don’t always feel like you fit in your organization.  That isn’t unusual.  Most internal entrepreneurs feel out of alignment with the rest of the organization. 

Internal entrepreneurs see the world through a different lens.  What they see others find difficult to envision.  What they do is not always easy to comprehend.  How they do it seems counter intuitive.  Why they do it is often a mystery to their peers.  What keeps them going is hard to fathom.  

Internal entrepreneurs are in alignment with who they are, not what the organization wants them to be.  They are true to themselves. 

  • They see the world differently.
  • They think differently.
  • They act differently.
  • They make decisions differently.
  • They prefer a different kind of work environment.
  • They have different motivations and aspirations.
  • They see the world as it could be not as it is.

This sets internal entrepreneurs apart from others. It makes some people in the organization uncomfortable. Yet it is this differentiation that allows internal entrepreneurs to see opportunities, come up with creative solutions and find innovative ways to accelerate growth. 

In their book Growth from Within, authors Wolcott and Lippitz state “Being an entrepreneur, independent or corporate, is a unique role, with demands and potential rewards that differ from business as usual.”  http://growfromwithinbook.com.

Internal entrepreneurs are consistently striving to achieve alignment with who they truly are. They are interested in reaching their full potential.  In doing so, they are bringing the very best of themselves to their organizations.

Alignment is only the first in a long list of topics we will discuss.  Over the next coming weeks and months we will continue to field your questions and address them.   Keep the questions coming!