Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk
Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk
Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) "Intellectually stifling and (that) offers few challenges of one's creativity and innovation.''
These folks are asking how best to move from being someone else's bored employee to coming into their own as an excited entrepreneur.
These people are called "intrapreneurs," and their ranks are growing, which should be of great concern to the employers who have either been unaware that they existed or have chosen to ignore them in the past.
By definition, intrapreneurs are employees who think with an entrepreneurial slant. Instead of just doing their jobs by the numbers, intrapreneurs approach every task with an entrepreneurial mindset.
They are always thinking of ways to improve products or processes. They are innovators, creative thinkers, and are quite often viewed by management as squeaky wheels. Unfortunately, intrapreneurs also are often seen as troublemakers and hard to manage because they push the envelope of what's expected from a traditional employee.
Most big companies don't want employees who think independently. They don't want employees who think outside of their job description, as intrapreneurs are prone to do. I know this from personal experience, but that's a whole 'nother column.
The primary difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs is that the intrapreneur would be just as happy to spend his life as someone else's employee if the working environment nurtured and supported his efforts. Intrapreneurs do not want to become entrepreneurs.
They are perfectly happy working for someone else if the environment offers opportunities for advancement and growth based on initiative and creativity, not just on years punched in.
Sadly, most big companies do not know how to nurture their intrapreneurs. Just the opposite is more the norm: They give employees a policies manual and tell them to toe the line.
They hand you a written job description and expect you to operate within its parameters. When I quit my last real job some 10 years ago, my reason for doing so was that the corporate environment was just sucking the genius and the life right out of me. It's something I hear every week now from intrapreneurs.
Intrapreneuring is nothing new. As long as there have been employers and employees, there have been intrapreneurs. But the Internet boom spawned a new generation of free-agent-minded employees who want the mental rewards and freedom of working for an entrepreneurial venture, and the financial stability of working for an established company.
Just because the Internet boom went bust does not mean the mentality of this generation of entrepreneurially minded employees has changed.
To the contrary, intrapreneurs are now part of practically every midsize to large organization, and they are biding their time and watching for opportunity while on the company payroll. This new generation of employees brings a change in the workplace mindset - from one of "serial employment" to one of "entrepreneurial advancement."
The only way to convert the focus of these employees, who are usually the most talented people within the organization, is to give them what they want - the opportunity to excel and grow within an environment that appreciates entrepreneurial thought. When intrapreneurs are allowed to flourish, the entire company will follow.
We are in the age of ownership, where everyone from the CEO to the janitor has more opportunities and options than ever before. We demand ownership in our lives and in our careers. The gold watch has been replaced by the brass ring.
Here's to your success.
Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
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I've noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc.
Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) "Intellectually stifling and (that) offers few challenges of one's creativity and innovation.''
These folks are asking how best to move from being someone else's bored employee to coming into their own as an excited entrepreneur.
These people are called "intrapreneurs," and their ranks are growing, which should be of great concern to the employers who have either been unaware that they existed or have chosen to ignore them in the past.
By definition, intrapreneurs are employees who think with an entrepreneurial slant. Instead of just doing their jobs by the numbers, intrapreneurs approach every task with an entrepreneurial mindset.
They are always thinking of ways to improve products or processes. They are innovators, creative thinkers, and are quite often viewed by management as squeaky wheels. Unfortunately, intrapreneurs also are often seen as troublemakers and hard to manage because they push the envelope of what's expected from a traditional employee.
Most big companies don't want employees who think independently. They don't want employees who think outside of their job description, as intrapreneurs are prone to do. I know this from personal experience, but that's a whole 'nother column.
The primary difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs is that the intrapreneur would be just as happy to spend his life as someone else's employee if the working environment nurtured and supported his efforts. Intrapreneurs do not want to become entrepreneurs.
They are perfectly happy working for someone else if the environment offers opportunities for advancement and growth based on initiative and creativity, not just on years punched in.
Sadly, most big companies do not know how to nurture their intrapreneurs. Just the opposite is more the norm: They give employees a policies manual and tell them to toe the line.
They hand you a written job description and expect you to operate within its parameters. When I quit my last real job some 10 years ago, my reason for doing so was that the corporate environment was just sucking the genius and the life right out of me. It's something I hear every week now from intrapreneurs.
Intrapreneuring is nothing new. As long as there have been employers and employees, there have been intrapreneurs. But the Internet boom spawned a new generation of free-agent-minded employees who want the mental rewards and freedom of working for an entrepreneurial venture, and the financial stability of working for an established company.
Just because the Internet boom went bust does not mean the mentality of this generation of entrepreneurially minded employees has changed.
To the contrary, intrapreneurs are now part of practically every midsize to large organization, and they are biding their time and watching for opportunity while on the company payroll. This new generation of employees brings a change in the workplace mindset - from one of "serial employment" to one of "entrepreneurial advancement."
The only way to convert the focus of these employees, who are usually the most talented people within the organization, is to give them what they want - the opportunity to excel and grow within an environment that appreciates entrepreneurial thought. When intrapreneurs are allowed to flourish, the entire company will follow.
We are in the age of ownership, where everyone from the CEO to the janitor has more opportunities and options than ever before. We demand ownership in our lives and in our careers. The gold watch has been replaced by the brass ring.
Here's to your success.
Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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