Mike Harris is co-founder and CEO of Patina Solutions, a fast growing professional services firm that helps businesses execute their vision and accomplish their goals by providing highly experienced and driven professionals to help on a flexible basis. He says an “intrapreneurial” spirit is what drives innovation in any size company.
“To stay ahead in today’s fast-changing, increasingly global marketplace, your business must be able to adapt, anticipate and evolve on a regular basis. That’s why I believe one of the most crucial drivers of success in any company is an “intrapreneurial” culture. In other words, you need plenty of people within your organization who think and act like entrepreneurs – those with an affinity for envisioning, organizing and managing new endeavors and ideas. Everybody knows the story of 3M and how its highly successful sticky notes resulted from a failure – a classic example of intrapreneurs in action.
“Here are five tips to help foster the right kind of “intrapreneurial” attitude inside your company:
Find the right personalities. Seek passionate, enthusiastic people over pure skill and experience.
Encourage friendly competition. Emphasize the urgency of innovation and reward people who take well-planned risks – whether they succeed or not.
Make innovation a part of everyone’s job. You need ideas from everywhere – not just R&D. And you never know how a breakthrough will take route or where it will spring from.
Seek outside perspectives. Look for opportunities to bring in experienced talent from elsewhere, perhaps as a board member, advisor or facilitator, or in a flexible employment role, to bring the fresh take and perspective your company sometimes needs.
Let go as the CEO. While it may be difficult, the truth is, a micromanaged team will never be free to pursue their initiatives and ideas.
“Most importantly, if you’re an executive seeking to build an intrapreneurial culture, it starts with you. So, take risks. Embrace speed and change. Adapt early and often. And chances are, intrapreneurs will emerge and flourish to support the kind of agile, innovative organization you need to keep winning.”
