30/03/2023
The intrapreneur's mindset
Intrapreneurship is not the same as entrepreneurship, and while there may be some similarities, intrapreneurs have distinct challenges that require a different mindset from innovators. There are two main things every intrapreneur needs to focus on to succeed with innovation.
Avoid innovation theater: The comfort of having a salary can give intrapreneurs space to engage in activities that look like innovation but ultimately create no value. For example, innovation teams can spend excessive time on ideation, competitions, and hackathons.
The ultimate measure of innovation success is whether the ideas we work on create value for customers and our organization. While there will inevitably be some failures along the way, the achievements we can be proud of are the ones that involve products in customers' hands and value flowing back to our company.
Avoid the brash ego: Remember, the ultimate goal is to have products and services in the market. In a corporate environment, this can only be achieved by building collaborative relationships with people that work in crucial functions such as sales, marketing, operations, legal, and compliance.
If we set having a successful business model as the ultimate measure of success, then the intrapreneur necessarily succeeds by building relationships within the organization. Some may view this as politics, but this is a vital part of the job for the intrapreneur.
Innovation is more than just fun and games. World-class intrapreneurs achieve success by creating value and building relationships.
I am wishing you the best of innovation luck.
