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Improve Your Career

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Employee Engagement Human Resources Improve Your Career Skill Development

What an Indispensable Employee Looks Like

Intrapreneurs, The Heroes of the Workforce

I spend a lot of time working with and teaching highly skilled and highly motivated people, young professionals and experienced professionals, entry-level workers and high-level executives, technical focused and people focused; a really wide range of people. Of all the different kinds of people I deal with on a regular basis, the most welcoming and exciting to work with have to be the Intrapreneur. For those of you who are not familiar with the Intrapreneur; they are people who exhibit the personal drive, dedication, professional pride, and intrinsic motivation and are the hallmarks of successful entrepreneurs, except they choose to work within an organization or business. These are the people who work in a company that makes other people wonder; “With their skill and drive, why they haven’t started their own business?”

Intrapreneurs are the heroes in their company who are not necessarily in it for the money or prestige, they are motivated by a need to seek innovation, solve problems, and, most often, they believe in what they do, and they look to do it better. Intrapreneurs are often the backbone of a successful company, if a company creates an environment where Intrapreneurs can thrive, be recognized and given more responsibility to create a larger impact then they will lift the company beyond anyone’s expectations.

 What makes Intrapreneurs?

Developing Intrapreneurship is really not that different from developing a garden. You need the right materials, the fertile soil to get started, and the right resources to be nourished.

In this sense, the right materials are likely within the personality qualities of the person.  As someone who researches and teaches topics around cognition and skill development, in my professional opinion, these qualities are best identified in the Big Five Factors personality traits. This is part of the foundation of Personality Psychology and an excellent inventory of the qualities that make us who we are. The main quality strengthens that are needed to create an Intrapreneur would be:

Openness

-Adventurousness (prefers variety and trying new and different ways to do things)

-Intellect (likes complex problems, enjoys going in depth with complicated ideas)

-Liberalism (avoids convention, tends to not be satisfied with the status quo)

Conscientiousness

-Self-efficacy (has the confidence to take on tasks and successfully complete them)

-Achievement-striving (self motivated to work hard)

-Self-discipline (will complete tasks, regardless of how distasteful)

If you would like to test yourself against the Big Five Factors and find your score on the above traits, among many others, you can take the actual IPIP-NEO assessment that is the representation of the scientific assessment used by Personality Psychologist. Find the test here.

What environment is needed to develop an Intrapreneur?

Going back to the garden analogy, what is the fertile soil to plant the budding Intrapreneur? Basically, flexibility is key. An environment where there is not just a linear process to accomplish outcomes, where there is a way to fine tune and improve processes or look at new ways to create efficiencies. The Intrapreneur is all about ideas, sees the angles, and wants the flexibility to pursue the best option.

Another essential piece is the resources to be nourished; the key to this is really access. The Intrapreneur needs to have access to information, equipment, and support to develop the idea or solve the problem. Access can be the greatest form of appreciation for the Intrapreneur, as it is not just lip service to their efforts and potential, but a tangible endorsement of their efforts, which will be key to keeping a successful Intrapreneur at your company.

The Takeaway

We have all seen Intrapreneurs in action; they are the indispensable co-workers who we know will go above and beyond and find better ways to do their job. It’s the person who works for a company we regularly deal with and enjoy interacting with because they take pride in what they do; they are self-motivated. If you have ever dealt with someone and have been impressed with their ingenuity, commitment, work quality and thought to yourself “this person is going places” then odds are you have been dealing with an Intrapreneur.

Intrapreneurship needs to be fostered, cultivated and appreciated. They are essential to the growth and sustainability of any organization or company. The reality is that human capital is the most important resource to any business and Intrapreneurs are the gold standard that gives any business its greatest value.

 

Roman 3 is an advising and solutions firm that specializes in inspiring progressive action, creating a culture of innovation, and assisting organizations in implementing transformative change. We help you build capacity, collaborate, be progressive, and grow to your full potential. For more information on our services and support check us out at www.roman3.ca 

Improve Your Career Skill Development

Improve The STATUS Of Your Brand In The Labour Market

First off, what is branding….really?

There appears to be some confusion when it comes to clearly understanding branding. When discussing the subject, it is important to clarify what it isn’t. Branding is not the same as marketing, advertising, or public relations. Let’s quickly clarify the difference:

Me to you: “I’m a great Opera Singer!”

(That’s marketing)

Me to everyone: “I’M A GREAT OPERA SINGER! I’M A GREAT OPERA SINGER!”

(That’s advertising)

Someone who I pay to tell you: “Trust me—he’s a great Opera Singer!”

(That’s public relations)

You to me: “I hear you are a great Opera Singer.”

(THAT’s branding!)

Basically, a brand is the association that people make with a particular person or product. A brand is the consistent message that is the foundation for a person or product’s reputation.

Strong branding is both complex and essential

Career and business minded people are always looking to define what sets them apart, both in the consumer market and the labour market. Whether you are a business wanting to have the reputation that draws customers to your doors, or draws eager job applicants to your job postings, the reputation of your business is critical to your appeal. Basically, what everyone wants to be associated and known for the desirable qualities that will define their success.

Branding your business in the labour market is not that different than branding your business in the consumer market. Your reputation will largely impact how people choose to interact with you. If you treat people with respect, value their relationship and interactions with you, make it clear why you are the superior choice above others in your field, and consistently and thoughtfully uphold that standard over time; you will attract the interest you are seeking.

Knowing what you need to do, and knowing how you need to do it are not always the same thing. To help break down the elements of your brand, we have created a helpful tool to get you started. What is interesting is that these steps are the same if you are building a brand for your business in the labour market, a brand for a product in the consumer market, or a brand for yourself in the job market.  We call this the STATUS model. STATUS is an acronym for the core components of this approach. It stands for:

Spice – What is the unique essence that you have to make you stand out? What are your unique offerings? Your values? Your background? What is your competitive advantage?

Talk – What do you say you bring? (Not only now but to improve things in the long term?) What are the impactful skills and qualities you have? What is your value add?

Action – What are you doing to be successful now? What will make you the best choice from day one?

Target – Who and where are you trying to reach? What are they looking for? What are their needs? What purpose will you be able to fill?

Uniform –Are you presenting consistently? Are you a value fit with your target? Can you bring that fit consistently? How is this not just a hollow sales pitch?

Suitability – Does your brand fit with the target? Both in the long term and the short term?

STATUS is about helping people and businesses use self-awareness and critical reflection to make an intentional plan based on their experiences and values. STATUS provides a series of checkpoints to guide individuals and companies through the self-discovery process to find and convey a unique brand.

There are some great examples of companies who use their brand to stand out as the favorite in the labour market. We have all heard of great perks and experiences with companies like Google, or Virgin, they are well known. There are also great examples of companies who lean into their “Spice” and it guides how they do their business. Zappos, who proudly states “A Little Weirdness” as a core principle is a great example of this.

The big examples are often inspiring but may be a little harder to relate to. Sometimes it is not about the big shift, as much as it is about focusing on retaining the success you are already having. Who are the people who will be sharing and spreading your reputation? In the labour market it is your current and past employees.

There isn’t anything you can do about your past employees, but you certainly can make a difference with your current ones. Maybe that is the target for your branding in the short term. Make your current employees feel respected, trusted, encouraged, and inspired. Increase employee motivation and productivity by being committed to employee engagement. They are likely already talking about your business to others, make sure the STATUS of that conversation is in your favour.

This can work for you too

The key to a unique and compelling brand is to be intentional, consistent, and focus on what is already working. Given enough time and commitment, you can build your brand and your reputation to the point that people may even stop you on the street to comment on what a great opera singer you are.

 

Roman 3 is an advising and solutions firm that specializes in inspiring progressive action, creating a culture of innovation, and assisting organizations in implementing transformative change. We help you build capacity, collaborate, be progressive, and grow to your full potential. For more information on our services and support check us out at www.roman3.ca