Ken Freire

What is an Intrapreneur? Definition, differences, traits, and examples

Organizations are in high demand for innovation, execution and leadership. However, it can be hard to find someone who can do all three well. This is where finding an Intrapreneur can help launch your organization to the next level.

What is an Intrapreneur? An Intrapreneur is someone who innovates, creates, and manages new initiatives within an existing organization. They have similar traits as an entrepreneur but there are slight differences.

Keep reading to find out more about an Intrapreneur.

Entrepreneur vs. Intrapreneur

The Entrepreneur is someone who innovates, creates, and manages a new business. Everything rises and falls with the entrepreneur.

The Intrapreneur is similar but does it within an existing organization. They love the organization and the mission it’s trying to accomplish. The intrapreneur also knows how to use the existing resources within an organization to accomplish its new initiative.

One of the big differences is that the intrapreneur is also slightly risk-averse. They like the security of being with an organization versus on their own,

For example, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high in risk-taking, an entrepreneur would generally be at a 10 while an intrapreneur would be at a 7.

Traits of an Intrapreneur

While there are many traits an intrapreneur can have, there are some core traits necessary for an intrapreneur to succeed in any industry. Here are the core traits:

1. Conviction – Deep down inside their soul, the intrapreneur believes in the initiative they are executing. This comes across with vision, passion, and perseverance.
2. Intensely curious – They are not closed-minded but open-minded to new ideas. They ask a lot of questions when they see a potential opportunity. Their curiosity drives them to be innovative because they’ve asked all the right questions to get to the root of a problem.
3. Problem Solver – The cousin of being intensely curious. You can’t have one without the other. Intrapreneurs are keen to not only see problems but looking for solutions to those problems. They tend to be the go-to person when problems arise.
4. A Generalist – Intrapreneurs have knowledge and/or experience in different fields. This helps so they can connect the dots when working with other departments to execute the new initiative. They understand how other departments think and can leverage this knowledge for the good of the organization and its constituents.
5. Resourceful – Given that intrapreneurs are generalists, they tend to know what resources are at their disposal without stepping on people. They are also creative in finding new ways to use the current resources the organization has. In their mind, resources are not just people or items in the organization. Resources is also their large network outside the organization that they can tap into in order to achieve their goal.
6. Leadership Skills – An Intrapreneur to some extent is his own boss. They lead a group of people, and they work inter-departmentally. Thus, they have a high level of leadership quotient and emotional intelligence. The intrapreneur is high in leadership skills like empathy, conflict resolution, casting vision, empowering others, and coaching.
7. Humble – Humility is knowing who you are and what you are capable of. Intrapreneurs are keenly aware of this. They are not trying to prove to themselves or others what they are capable of. They are teachable and willing to receive correction from those around them. Without humility, the intrapreneur may be able to innovate but he will not succeed in leading people in the new venture.
8. Courageous – Intrapreneurs tend to go towards uncharted territory for the company. They will be starting something new which can lead people to be skeptical of their work. They will have to have hard conversations and face much adversity to launch their new initiative.
9. Strategic – The Intrapreneur can see the vision and start to plan a course of action. They like developing KPI’s, looking at trends, seeing potential pitfalls, and planning accordingly. The intrapreneur knows how to delegate these plans for the success of the mission.
10. Integrators – The intrapreneur sees the vision, strategically plans the vision, and knows how to execute the vision. This is a huge differentiator between an entrepreneur and an intrapreneur. An intrapreneur tends to have the ability to execute things well within an organization. They are results-oriented. They are the glue that holds things together, keeping people accountable to the KPI’s all while instilling the organization’s core values.

How to grow in these intrapreneurial traits

No one is born with these traits. Some people may have some raw talent that can show glimpses of these traits, but no one will naturally excel in them. It takes applied effort, practice, and persistence to grow in each of these traits.

The best way to start growing in these traits is to do the following:

1. Pick one trait and create a plan on how you will grow in that area in the next 3 months.
2. Find a mentor or a coach who can help you create the plan and be accountable for the plan.
3. Celebrate your small wins. When growing in a new trait it can be discouraging since you, the intrapreneur is used to being a high achiever.
4. After the 3 months, do an evaluation. Have you reached your goal stated in the plan? If not, keep going. Make sure that your goals are realistic.
5. Once you’ve accomplished your initial plan, pick another trait and repeat this process.

Examples of Intrapreneurs

There are tons of examples of intrapreneurs. Studio Zao has done a great job of showing us the top 5 examples in different industries. You can check it out here.

Intrapreneurs can exist within any industry. The key to an intrapreneur is that they are always innovating a new product, service, or idea. The intrapreneur doesn’t need to start a new company.

Some Key takeaways for Intrapreneurs

If you have read this far and this post resonates with you, you are probably an intrapreneur. So, another example of an intrapreneur is you. Look at your accomplishments and see where you have exemplified these wins. It’s okay if it’s small wins. A win is a win.

Lastly, look around the organization. You are not the only intrapreneur in the organization. There are others around who are doing great work. As an intrapreneur and/or leader, it’s your job to find these people and bring them together.

Imagine how much an organization can thrive if all the intrapreneurs got together in humility to achieve the overall mission of the organization. There would be nothing that can stop them.

I remember when I was in high school and couldn’t wait to get out so that I could be treated like an adult, but I soon realized that with adulthood came responsibility. Each of those responsibilities required me to make decisions that I wasn’t sure how to make. Some of the decisions I had to make were:

• Which college should I go to?
• How will I pay for college?
• What type of job should I get?
• Will this job get me closer to my career goals? Wait, what do I want to do as a career?
• Will I be okay leaving my family if I had to go somewhere far away?

As I answered these questions, I thought life would get easier. In some areas it did, but in others it didn’t. Thankfully, I had some great mentors in my life who gave me some questions to use as a guideline to making decisions. I ask myself these questions whenever I have to make any type of decision.

Which decision will impact the Kingdom of God the most? While we can’t fully know exactly how each decision will impact the kingdom of God, we do know that how we use our time can greatly influence the kingdom of God. For example, say three guys wanted to meet with me about discipleship. Instead of meeting with them one-on-one, I would meet with them in a small group so that I could train all of them at the same time and they could learn from one another.

How many people are being affected by the decision? This question helps me prioritize which decisions need to be made first. For example, going to college doesn’t just affect you; It affects your parents, siblings, and friends. It can also affect any ministries you’re involved in. Given how many people this decision may affect, it would be best to figure it out first, rather than if you were deciding to buy a car.

What deadlines do I need to meet or make? The point of this question is to determine how much time you have to make a decision. Sometimes the decisions I need to make doesn’t have a deadline, so I give myself a deadline. The reason for this is that decisions without deadlines are always unnecessary weights in your life. They lead to stress and indecision. A deadline forces you to make a decision, which helps in the long run. If you’re thinking about going to college, for example, you also need to think about the financial aid deadline.

How will this decision benefit me in the long run? The first question is making sure you’re focused on God, the second is people, and this one is about yourself. You want to think about how this decision will get you to where you feel like God wants you to go long term. For example, I encourage students to go do a gap year before going to college so they can get established in their faith and figure out what God has called them to do. This can benefit you greatly because you won’t be wasting your time and money going to several different colleges trying to figure out your calling. A good gap year can help you find focus for life, which is a massive benefit in the long run.

What advice are my close leaders telling me? Lastly, I make sure I’m getting advice from leaders around me. This includes pastors, parents, mentors, and teachers. There is a lot of wisdom in seeking counsel from them. They can ask you questions that you probably haven’t thought of yet. For example, I sought a lot of counsel when I was deciding if I should marry my wife. It was great to hear godly, married men give me sound advice on how to make the decision.

When I was young, I never thought I got stressed. I thought to myself, “What is there to stress about?” It’s not like I had thousands of dollars worth of debt, or a family to feed. All I had to figure out was how to pass the classes that I procrastinated in, what school I was going to, how I would pay for school, and how I was going to make a living.

Oh wait. Those were really stressful decisions; but, at the time, I didn’t realize how stressed out I was. In fact, throughout most of my life I’ve been a stressed individual. Thankfully, I’m learning how to deal with my stress, but I first had to learn what stress actually is.

Stress is external factors that affect your internal character.

If you’re anything like I was, reading the definition of stress doesn’t mean you fully understand the meaning. In order to make improvements in my life, I needed to learn some of the signs of stress.  Below are some of the signs I’ve learned from personal experience and studying. I hope these signs help you determine if you are stressed or not. I encourage you to evaluate yourself as honestly as possible. Stress that’s not dealt with can lead to burnout which has immense physiological problems that can take years to deal with.

Rate yourself from 1 – 10 (10 meaning this statement is very true for you)

• I cry (or want to cry) often.
• I overreact in many situations.
• I tend to walk in anxiety.
• I lack motivation and drive.
• I procrastinate getting things done.
• I feel overwhelmed for no apparent reason.
• I’m always on edge, as if everything has a sense of urgency.
• I have this internal wrestle when someone invites me to go do something.
• When I’m with people, all I can think about is my to do list.
• When I have a deadline, I tend to eat more comfort foods.
• There are parts of my body that are more tense than others.
• God is the first place I run to when I’m struggling.
• I find comfort in God’s Word when I’m struggling.
• I praise the Lord in the midst of difficult situations.
• I believe God is in control all of the time.

Once you rate yourself in all of these areas, look at the top 5 statements you rated yourself highest on. Add those up and if the sum is higher than 35, you’re probably dealing with some stressful situations that you need to work through.

I’ve also used these statements to help me indicate in which areas of my life stress starts to show up first. For example, I’ve noticed that I may only be a “4” on fourteen of these statements, but an “8” when it comes to my body tensing up (question 11). I then take this information and admit that there are small amounts of stress in my life. If I don’t acknowledge it, then the stress can build up to a point where I am paralyzed in making effective decisions.

Realizing that you have stress is the first step to dealing with it. The second is learning how to manage your stress. If you’re interested in learning how to do this, then I would encourage you to check out this blog.

This list isn’t exhaustive but it’s a start. What are some other stress signs in your life you can be looking out for?

Cover photo taken from: https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2930381/stressed-out-people-are-more-likely-to-pile-on-the-pounds-by-comfort-eating-finds-study/