Intrapreneurialism

A co-worker emailed me this past week and said “I think this is you (copied from Wikipedia)”:

Employee Intrapreneur

“Intrapreneurship refers to employee initiatives in organizations to undertake something new, without being asked to do so.” [5] Hence, the intrapreneur focuses on innovation and creativity, and transforms an idea into a profitable venture, while operating within the organizational environment. Thus, intrapreneurs are Inside entrepreneurs who follow the goal of the organization. Intrapreneurship is an example of motivation through job design, either formally or informally.Employees, such as marketing executives[6] or perhaps those engaged in a special project within a larger firm, are encouraged to behave as entrepreneurs, even though they have the resources, capabilities and security of the larger firm to draw upon. Capturing a little of the dynamic nature of entrepreneurial management (trying things until successful, learning from failures, attempting to conserve resources, etc.) adds to the potential of an otherwise static organization, without exposing those employees to the risks or accountability normally associated with entrepreneurial failure.
[edit]Examples

Many companies are famous for setting up internal organizations whose purpose is to promote innovation within their ranks. One of the most well-known is the “Skunk Works” group at Lockheed Martin.
Another example could be 3M, who encourage many projects within the company. They give certain freedom to employees to create their own projects, and they even give them funds to use for these projects.

Naturally I was flattered and thanked him. It was a nice thing to say.  I’ve always called it “down-low” projects. This means I keep it below the radar to try new things and to get them done efficiently. And, without having to be combative or over-explanatory about why a new initiative could still help the company. Yes, we do have these discussions, all of the time. If this is your first entree into my world, I work for someone who is used to be at the center of all company decisions and sometimes needs to remove himself – with a little help.

This new definition has opened my eyes to how we might all approach leadership. I was taught in a work-training session once that we are all Big-L or Little-L leaders. The idea was that everyone is empowered to feel that they had a voice and could potentially impact change (good in theory but hard to practice). If you DO have some authority, it might be good to try intrapreneurship. What can you do at your workplace? Do you need to ask permission? Are you one who seeks credit, or are you okay to be an unsung hero?