Written by Sherrone Lobban How to Become An Invaluable Employee
I often ask myself, are all employees easily dispensable? Over the years I have found a common trait among employees that are invaluable to their place of work. They are often intraprenuers
Who is an Intrepreneur
Would you like to be an intrapreneur? No I did not misspell Entrepreneur. An intrepreneur is the less risky version of an entrepreneur but with the same level of innovation, perseverance and business acumen that is usually used to characterise an entrepreneur. Intrapreneurship is the practice of entrepreneurship by employees within an organization.
I believe the intraprenuer is the type of employee that will be highly sought after. The Employee of the Future was one of the learning tracks on showcase at LearnFest 2016, held, August 25th, 2016, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. This learning track explored how to pursue and nurture the intrapreneurial spirit.
Entrepreneurs pursue their vision and dreams by dreams by starting companies and building businesses, whilst the entrepreneur utilises their skills and talents supported by a company’s resources to build and grow that company.
How to become an Intrapreneur
If you want to survive in today’s economy, then intrapreneurship is the way to go. An intrapreneur conceptualises or takes ideas and turns them into viable products and results. They are willing to try new things whilst remaining aware of the risks as well as the rewards.
How does one become an intrapreneur? It begins building a can do attitude and build a reputation for helping the company succeed. Never say ‘it’s not my job. By simple mentoring your colleagues you will be seen as a leader and trust me your boss will notice. The ideal place to shine as an intrapreneur is in a start-up company. You can become an intrapreneur but it is important that like the entrepreneur you are doing what you love and that you treat the company you work for and its resources with the same duty and care you would your own business. Many start-ups have grown into large corporations through the leadership of intrapreneurs.
Nurturing Intrapreneurial Traits
Employers today are constantly seeking intrapreneurs. My personal experience is that I always look for entrepreneurial qualities in candidates I interview for jobs. As a matter of fact in 2006, when we wrote our company values we stated that we value ‘entrepreneurship in our team members. Today we intend to change that word to intrapreneurship, we mean the same thing, we are just moving with the jargon of the day. Employers today want their employees help propel companies into the future with out of the box thinking.
Intrapreneurship is a significant method for companies to reinvent themselves and improve performance.
Examples of Companies that Nurture Intraprenuers
Skunk Works” group, at Lockheed Martin
This company is known for establishing efforts to nurture in-house talents to promote innovation. This group formed in 1943 to build P-80 fighter jets. Kelly Johnson was the director of the project, and established what is known today as Kelly’s “14 rules of intrapreneurship”.
Google is said to be intrapreneur friendly. Employees may up to 20% of their time to pursue other projects that may benefit the company.
3M
“3M” allows an employee to spend 15% of work time on the projects they like and think it will improve the company. If initially successful, 3M even funds it for further development.
At LearnFest 2016, we heared from real intraprenuers who have pursued their dreams and have gained personal satisfaction and success, whilst adding value to the company that they work for. At Learn Fest we also shared valuable tips with employers on how to nurture intrapreneurs within organisation