Do you have a unique contribution to give to your company? 

We’re not simply talking about contributing positively to the team and being an essential part of your organisation’s machinery. We’re referring to the attributes you bring to your company that no one else can. 

Award-winning novelist Neil Gaiman encouraged his audience to “do the stuff that only you can do… The one thing you have that nobody else has is you” in his 2012 keynote speech at the University of the Arts, London. Your thoughts, stories, and vision are all important. 

This article explains how using your “intrapreneurial” skills at work can improve productivity and help your leadership team see the value that only you can provide to your organisation. 

An intrapreneur is what? 

Think about the rise of computer gaming consoles without the Sony PlayStation® or office supplies without Post-it® notes. What happens if Facebook® does not have a “like” button? 

Intrapreneurs, or those who behave and think like entrepreneurs while employed by a bigger firm, are responsible for the creation of all of these legendary goods (and many more). While still adhering to their organisation’s mission, beliefs, and goals, intrapreneurs take the initiative to develop new goods, services, procedures, policies, and practices. 

To be an intrapreneur, you don’t need to be a rebel or an “out of the box” creative, but you do need the bravery and motivation to pursue a concept that you think will be advantageous to your business, clients or customers. 

Continue reading if you believe you have what it takes to be an intrapreneur! 

Advantages and Drawbacks of Entrepreneurism 

Many aspiring business owners begin their careers as employees. Being an intrapreneur allows you to take advantage of your company’s contacts and resources while also knowing that you can continue to make rent payments while honing your skills. 

While pursuing your own vision at work, knowing that you’re making a significant contribution to your team or business can significantly increase your job happiness, establish your credibility, and boost your self-confidence. 

There aren’t many formal intrapreneurship programmes, and your company’s executives, managers, and CEO might not think it’s their job to encourage employees to forge their own paths. 

Getting Your Business On Board 

Being an intrapreneur can help you advance professionally and personally, but it can also be very advantageous for your company. One benefit is that the corporation owns any inventions you develop while working there. 

If your plans and objectives are successful, they might result in fresh goods and openings encouraging business expansion. The business might enter new markets, and client satisfaction might rise. 

Companies that encourage intrapreneurship frequently have stronger, more vibrant cultures and find it simpler to draw in and keep great people. Team members value the chance to acquire essential leadership skills and pursue career prospects within their company as opposed to having to grow their careers outside of it. 

Some businesses actively support intrapreneurs, including 3MTM, AT&T®, DuPont®, Google®, Sony, Texas InstrumentsTM, and Toyota®. For instance, 3M permits its scientists to devote up to 15% of their time to specific initiatives, while DreamWorks® offers team members the opportunity to attend pitching sessions before meeting with business officials. 

But not all businesses encourage intrapreneurs. Organisations that are conservative or risk-averse may find it difficult to accept the failures and dangers that come along with innovation, unintentionally becoming hostile and unsupportive to intrapreneurs. Additionally, during hard times, firms might not have the resources to devote personnel, financial support, and other resources to a new venture that might not succeed, particularly if those resources are required for ongoing revenue-generating initiatives. 

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurship Skills 

To improve your intrapreneurial talents, adhere to the guidelines below. 

1. Create a Personal Development Plan 

Many of the traits and abilities more frequently associated with entrepreneurs are also shared by intrapreneurs. They are “self-assured,” “creative, and tenacious innovators,” experts at solving problems, and unafraid to put their ideas forward. 

Although they are willing to take calculated chances, intrapreneurs are aware of the difference between good and bad risks. Use risk analysis to learn how to take calculated, wise risks and to eschew concepts that might turn disastrous. 

Because success is rarely guaranteed, intrapreneurs are brave. Be at ease in the awareness that failure can be a stepping stone to something even better, enhancing you with real-world experience along the way rather than letting your concerns prevent you from following your ideas. Overcome your fear of failure, and when things don’t go as planned, get back up, take a look at what happened, and move on. 

At work, you’ll also need to know how to seize the initiative. There aren’t many companies that have programmes in place to encourage and support intrapreneurship; therefore you need to know how to act without waiting for orders. 

2. Construct an Idea 

Intrapreneurs are constantly seeking ways to improve things. For them, issues are merely opportunities disguised as problems. 

Developing a novel solution to an ongoing issue is one of the best ways to stand out in your company. Start by examining the problems and “bottlesnecks” that hinder production and frustrate others, especially your boss. Your boss will be far more inclined to approve of your other ideas if you can help them. 

You might also consider the issues that your clients or consumers are facing. Get to the root of the issue using problem-solving techniques like Root Cause Analysis and The 5 Whys, then apply creative thinking techniques like Random Input, The Reframing Matrix, or The Simplex Process to generate innovative solutions. 

Additionally, share your thoughts and recommendations with others who are knowledgeable about various aspects of the issue you’re trying to address. They can assist you in honing your concepts and creating a more effective solution. 

In order to ensure that your proposal makes sense, construct a business case for it and, as part of that, carry out an adequate financial review. (To help you do this in a way that your firm will respect, ask your finance department.) 

3. Describe Your Idea. 

It’s time to propose to your boss or the leadership group a concept you find exciting. This phase can be difficult because it requires putting your reputation and your concept on the line. 

Learn to think quickly and brush up on your impromptu speaking abilities to be prepared. Maintaining composure under pressure will enable you to think clearly while you present your proposal. 

Next, create an elevator pitch that sums up your idea in no more than two minutes using the Bite-Sized Training workbook (available to Club members only). With Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, you may strengthen your argument and make it more persuasive. To be sure you haven’t neglected anything, follow our presentation planning checklist. 

When you get down with your supervisor, begin by thoroughly discussing the nature of the issue you’ve discovered and outlining how your solution will address it. Describe the advantages and be upfront about the hazards. 

Next, describe the prerequisites for starting. Be precise. It’s crucial to be upfront and honest about what it will take to implement your idea, so if it would take six months and a team of ten people, say so. 

4. Be Reliable 

Try again if the first time is not the charm. 

Don’t give up if your pitch doesn’t go well. Some of the best concepts ever had their initial iterations rejected. In the beginning, things like correction fluid, folding bicycles, hovercrafts, and even BarbieTM dolls were disregarded. 

During your pitch, pay close attention to any concerns that your boss or the leadership group express. Maintain your focus on adding value for other individuals while improving your solution in light of the comments made. If you are still confident that your plan will succeed, do extra research to back up your suspicions. 

5. Execute a trial test 

Good news: they approved of your plan! Now, what? 

Start putting your thoughts into practice as the following phase. It’s unlikely that your manager will give you the go-ahead to implement your proposal across the board at this early stage. They will initially need to see more proof that the plan will succeed. 

Before taking on considerable risks or allocating significant resources to a larger project, one method to accomplish this is by running a business experiment to test your ideas on a small scale. You could also build up a pilot project using Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle or develop a Minimum Viable Product to test your hypotheses and learn more about your target market. 

6. Broader Application 

Everything is set to go if your pilot study is a success and you and your management are happy to move on. 

It will be easier to keep things operating smoothly if you have good project management, risk management, and change management abilities. You might want to think about requesting a raise if your proposal proves to be a huge hit! 

Major Points 

People who operate like entrepreneurs while employed by a larger company are known as intrapreneurs. 

You must leverage your uniqueness to create creative, fresh items or ideas that can help your organisation if you want to be an intrapreneur. Your level of job satisfaction and worth to the company will both rise as a result. 

It would help if you thought about both your professional and personal qualities as you develop your intrapreneurial skills. 

Start by identifying issues and bottlenecks that need to be resolved in order to bring value and assist your firm. Use creative problem-solving techniques to come up with novel solutions. Develop your presenting abilities so that you can confidently and successfully pitch an idea when you find one you believe in. 

Run pilot studies and well-managed projects to begin putting your concept into practice. If everything goes according to plan, you’ll soon implement company-wide initiatives.

If you found this article insightful, you might also be interested in exploring these topics further. Here are five articles that could capture your attention:

1. Self-Coaching Strategies – Discover techniques to coach yourself towards personal and professional growth.
2. Team Management – Learn effective ways to lead and manage a team successfully.
3. Essential Competencies for Managing a Team – Understand the key skills and competencies required for effective team management.
4. Providing for Your People – Explore strategies to support and nurture your team members’ development.
5. Mentoring – Gain insights into the art of mentoring and how it can benefit both mentors and mentees.