most intrapreneurs I know are control freaks.....it's hard to give away control but I agree, important to learn!
Such great advice. 'Leave your ego at the door.' To be a successful intrapreneur, you need to get others to own the idea for you. ]
Question: we hear from intrapreneurs about the importance of non-negotiables. That is, give away ownership of your idea, sure, but how can you ensure it doesn't get co-opted or morph into something without impact?
Have a chat. You will be surprised that the most unlikely people want to support you. You just need to let them say it their way and listen to them carefully.
Impatience too, Gib :-)
Hi Gib,
I can relate to some of the things you are saying. I am a real idea person. And, believe in sharing those ideas. But, often my ideas take off, without me involved. Mostly that's OK, I always remind myself I can't physically do everything. But, often I see the potential that I envision is not met, at least partly because I was not able to offer any support. (Kept out of the action so to speak.) So, maybe my connection problem is the timing thing.
A difficult one, Maggie. Giving away control means that people will do it their way. And I have often found that that works too. It is different and not how I would have done it, but it works. The trick is to find a way to stay engaged, to be able to ask questions, to be seen as a trusted advisor, to be able to add value to 'their' idea. Not easy but it can really shift the game.
Great - let's move onto Question 2:
Q2. What tips do you have for getting people 'on-side'?
Hi Barbara - Kavita just posted some of her suggestions for this. Hopefully helpful. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Interesting one Barbara...... sounds like you are one of these people who can catalyze action in others....with or without being involved personally.... we all have limited bandwidth and can't be involved in everything. but I suppose it will come down to jow important the idea or initiative is to you..... and how it fits with your personal interests and strengths. I found in my own case, that trying to drive a new start up, a non profit within a for profit, has become all consuming for the last 10 years of my career :-)
Personal conviction, clarity of idea, a vision of the outcome, a chance to create an impact... all important. And also they need to believe in you. And dare I say - like you and want to work with you.
I loved this quote we came across when researching for the toolkit 'Attempt to re-express your position so clearly, vividly and fairly that your target says "Thanks, I wish I'd thought of putting it that way.' In essence, really listen to the input others are giving to you and see if you can build on what they are saying. Incorporate language and stories from your stakeholders so they can clearly see their fingerprints on the idea.
I like that Maggie. Co-evolution.
Another good piece of advice we heard from intrapreneurs is to consider the venue in which you approach people. Try to get folks out of the office to have a more human interaction. Also - walking side by side as opposed to sitting opposite each other can help to build a sense of solidarity. Sometimes it's small things like this that can put people at ease, build trust and make them more receptive to your idea.
Horses for courses...... a general rule of thumb would be NOT to go for 50 pages of powerpoint or a detailed financial model to get leaders to buy into your vision. I've quite often used the technique of a fake press release...... did that at the beginning of ADP.... e.g. what would the FT report say at Davos in 2 years time.
Most recently I was trying to get an update to our CEO on our new 5 year strategy..... but getting time with him was difficult as you can imagine..... so I recorded a 3 min elevator pitch on video, posted it on vimeo and emailed it to him!
I have not yet come across someone who thinks that a sustainability idea is bad. They just think its not right for the business or for their day job. Often starting from a personal conviction rather than a business rationale helps.
I agree Kavita. I think it also has to be ground in a good solid business case. appealing to the business instincts as opposed to the heart strings will usually be the best plan for engaging senior management
Awesome tips Gib! Cutting through corporate jargon and PPT clutter by using novel techniques like this is so great. We've heard a lot about the value of a prototype. Even an 'ad-cept' - like a fake advertisement for your future product - can go a long way to helping people see the future. Remember, as an intrapreneur, you are the bridge from today's reality to tomorrow's possibility. When people push back - it's often because they can't see the future as clearly as you. Help them to 'get it!'
I agree. But it also depends on what the organisation responds to and what they will take seriously. For example, if decision making is based on a 3-years budgeting process, then be sure to have that along.
That's such a great insight Kavita. We've heard similar. That people are given such little space to be human inside companies - and by having a more holistic conversation, you enable them to tap into a bigger part of themselves. So refreshing! (And - of course, as Gib says - have a business case in your back pocket!)
I think the personality type of the individual has a great bearing on how you sell your idea....... doing a bit of homework on that would help i.e. there would be little chance of convincing an "Expressive" type by bombarding them with lots of facts and figures on the cost reductions - they want the big idea. similarly "Driver" type will want you to cut straight to the chase on the business rationale for acting today.....not where this may or may not be in 5 years