Intrapreneur [in-truh-pruh-nur, -noo r, -nyoo r](noun): Someone who behaves like an entrepreneur while working within an organization.
In today’s professional climate the importance of things like company culture, constant innovation, and relatability online have changed the way we, as employees, look at our work. Not only are we on the search for a company that offers a balanced lifestyle and encourages fun and comradery in the office space, we are also looking for somewhere that we feel we can add value.
In account service, it’s important to add value at every interaction; show your clients (and your boss) that you know what you’re talking about and offer innovative solutions for creating more engaging and effective work. Here is where intrapreneurship comes into play.
As an entrepreneurship major in college I was taught to implement the design thinking process at every interaction- no matter how small. Here’s how it works:
1.Empathize
Put yourself in someone else shoes, whether it’s the client or the ta
rget audience, what are they looking for? Think about the problem you need to solve and why you’re solving it.
2.Define
Now that you can understand what the problem is, how can you define it? What is the objective?
3.Ideate
Look at all the possible avenues that can be used to meet those
objectives. In the world of account service, for example, would you create an ad, write a press release, design an eblast, etc…? Create a list of ideas to meet your defined goal.
4.Prototype
Narrow down your list of ideas to one or two and implement them. This is comparable to a first draft, just do it, don’t be too meticulous, because things rarely are perfect on the first go.
5.Test
Put your prototypes to the test. Send it to the client, run it by a fresh set of eyes, etc…Does it accomplish the objectives you’ve set?
Implement this process into your work at any company, and eventually it will become a second nature. The main difference between an employee, and an intrepreneur is that intrepreneurs are not afraid to fail. Failure is a way of life, but it takes learning from those failures to achieve true success.
-Samantha-
Intrapreneurship > this crab cake by the bay
