Challenge Facing Intrapreneurs

by: Susan Foley - January 15th, 2013   Filed under: Business Growth, Intrapreneurs, Intrapreneurship Add Comment

One of the greatest challenges facing Intrapreneurs is finding an organization that has the entrepreneurial mindset and infrastructure to support what they do and how they do it.

Organizations think they know what it takes to be entrepreneurial.  In truth they don’t.

Entrepreneurship for many organizations is etched in words, not actions.  The intent is there, it is the entrepreneurial leadership and operational support that is missing.

This makes it more difficult for Intrapreneurs to succeed.  They must not only deal with the nuances of building a new business, they must also deal with the obstacles that the current operating environment puts in their way.

Entrepreneurship Sign - CroppedIntrapreneurs often find themselves trapped in organizations that claim they are entrepreneurial when in fact they are not.  Finding an organization that truly embraces entrepreneurship is difficult.  Knowing what to look for is critical.  Read More

A New Era Begins – Intrapreneurship

by: Susan Foley - December 18th, 2012   Filed under: Business Growth, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Intrapreneurs, Intrapreneurship, Social Intrapreneurs, Uncategorized 1 Comment

As the Mayan calendar comes to an end we are reminded that each ending brings a new beginning. Despite the claims that the world will end, a more popular belief is that we are at the beginning of a new era.

An era that is full of opportunity, hope and new challenges. The old ways are no longer working.  We’ve reached a point of diminishing returns.  It is not only society that is facing massive problems, our governments, and our businesses as well.

After teaching a semester on Social Change at Suffolk University I realized that the world is changing at an accelerated pace and that most individuals and organizations are not keeping pace with that change.  Most of us resist and fear change, we are threatened by it.

We look for answers outside of us, when in fact the answers lie within us. We are responsible for the problems that exist and for finding the solutions that will fix them.

Many organizations are struggling to grow in the current economic climate.  The issue is that for far too long organizations have relied on exploiting the core business.  They have failed to fully embrace the value of exploring new ones.  They have let the past guide them to a point that is no longer productive, sustainable or profitable.  They have become trapped by their own success.

Intrapreneurship is now seen as an answer to this situation. Organizations that are instituting Intrapreneurship are taking advantage of the opportunity to change their business model and set out in a new direction. They are putting the words of Peter Drucker into action, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Intrapreneurship (corporate entrepreneurship) is the key to unlocking the huge potential that still exists in large organizations.  It requires a new type of person, new processes and systems and a culture that is conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship.  It requires new thinking, new behaviors and a different approach to decision making.  It requires looking at the world through a new lens.

As the Mayan calendar ends we see the beginning of a new era in business.  An era where large organizations act more like start-ups, engage their employees in exploration and find new and innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Organizations will find themselves going back to their roots.  To the entrepreneurial infrastructure and mindset that was the foundation for their growth

In doing this these organizations will renew themselves and re-energize their employees to achieve things that seemed beyond their reach.  Employees will find new meaning and purpose in work. They will be creating a new era of business for the next generation to follow.

 

 

Six Reasons to Hire Intrapreneurs Now

by: Susan Foley - October 2nd, 2012   Filed under: Business Growth, Corporate Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurial Leaders, Internal Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs, Leadership Skills 2 Comments

While speaking to a group of sixty mid level managers last week one question that was asked was whether large companies are selectively looking to hire Intrapreneurs and Corporate Entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, too few organizations are actively recruiting individuals who have the entrepreneurial capabilities that are needed to re-energize their business. That is a mistake!

The fact is that growth in many large companies has stalled even though they are sitting on piles of cash.  Many are waiting to see how things turn out in the US election.  That is mistake!

Individuals who have the skills and capabilities to lead new growth initiatives are left sitting on their hands.  They are eager to move their companies forward but they are being held back.  That is a waste of talent!

Hiring entrepreneurs inside a large organization is still a foreign concept.  Many organizations say they want these types of individuals but their actions say something else.  They are using hiring criteria that gives them more of what they have not what they need. It keeps them stuck in the past.

There are six reasons why you should hire Intrapreneurs now:

1. Internal entrepreneurs are independent thinkers.  They make sense of the world based on their own observations and experience.  They are willing to try new things.  They don’t let past experience get in their way or cloud their judgement.  They see possibilities where others don’t.

2. Internal entrepreneurs are good at navigating uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. They don’t sit back and wait for things to become clear. They control uncertainty by acting. 

3. Internal entrepreneurs are totally engaged and energized by a challenge.  They bigger the challenge the better.  It is like climbing a mountain.  Once you’ve climbed a mountain you want to climb a higher more difficult one next time.  They take on the toughest jobs.

4. Internal entrepreneurs are good at driving change.  They are willing to take on risks to change their comfort zone.  They not only lead change but become the change they hope to achieve.  They model change so others are comfortable changing too. They make change happen.

5. Internal entrepreneurs are highly effective leaders.  They find creative ways to leverage limited resources.  They know where the organization is flexible and where it is not.  They are able to break down barriers and create new systems to support them.  They lead through complexity.

6. Internal entrepreneurs are good at execution.  They have the discipline to stay focused and bring things to closure.  They know how to take a complex set of interrelated variables and put them together to achieve results.  They close the gap between strategy and execution.

The skills and capabilities that were needed in the past are not the skills needed moving forward. The reality is that we all need to be entrepreneurs now whether we are in a large organization or on our own.

It’s time organizations got serious about hiring leaders who have the entrepreneurial talent to shake things up and get things moving.