The Business Intrapreneur: Profiles of Unsung Heroes of Corporate America. Kristin Boone's Eilenberg

      

      The Business Intrapreneur

      Profiles of unsung heroes of corporate America

      KRISTIN EILENBERG

      The Business Intrapreneur: Profiles of unsung heroes of corporate America

      Copyright © 2012 by Lodestone Logic, LLC

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United Stated Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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      Information contained in this book has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, the author does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein and shall not be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of the use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that the author is supplying information but is not attempting to render business or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought.

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      ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0916-0

       www.businessintrapreneur.com

      DEDICATION

      To all of the boat rockers, tree shakers, feather rufflers, cage rattlers, problem children, and bulls in China shops that make sure that the world does not acquiesce to the status quo.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Many thanks to all of the people that encouraged and supported me while I was mustering up the confidence to actually write this book: Saad Alam, Erin Albert, Gina Bilotti, Alph Bingham, Beau Bush, Michael Fischer, Robert Howard, Lydia Irving, Kristine Lemke, Craig Lipset, Mark Long, Katy Keane, Michael Keane, Bob McDonald, David Milliken, Delores Newcome, Carrie O’Connor, Brian Ruff, Hilary Schroeder, Matt Sheley, Sunnie Southern, Michele Steele, and Jenn Wood.

      Thank you to the intrapreneurs profiled in this book for agreeing to be interviewed and for your willingness to share your stories and perspectives with me and the world.

      Special thanks:

      To my mom, dad, and step-mom, for instilling an “I can do it” attitude and nurturing me to be the woman that I am.

      To my husband, the incredible man that is on this journey with me, for his support and encouragement to follow my passion.

      To my daughter, for the 10-minute cuddles that re-charge my batteries each morning.

      AUTHOR’S NOTE

      I have read my fair share of business books and it is always the same drill. I am always excited to fire up my Kindle and dig into a book that is going to stimulate my brain, challenge my perspectives, and teach me something new and different. Inevitably, around pages 80-100, I lose interest. I feel like the authors are just repeating themselves over and over again just to get to the 200-page mark. Honestly, I got what they were trying to say the first time and the second, so when they make a third attempt, I move on to the next book. I could build towers with the real books that I’ve partially read and am so glad for the archive function on my Kindle.

      So, when I embarked on this project, I promised everyone that the final output would be less than 100 pages. I tried to keep focused on the intent of my research and my goals for publishing this information. It’s not perfect and there are many more questions about intrapreneurs that need to be answered, but I did my best to surface the key findings from my research and provide relevant information in an easy and consumable format.

      Why this book? Why now?

      I believe that intrapreneurs are the key to accelerating the transformation of corporate America, especially in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. My ultimate aspiration in writing this book is to educate, connect, and support intrapreneurs that are already changing the world. The challenge is that most intrapreneurs do not realize that they are intrapreneurs; they feel like they are an army of one and that they are all alone. The reality is that there are others that are just like them but in other organizations, living and surviving in the business world, and making great things happen. So, this book has been written for people searching for their business or career identity but have yet to realize that they are intrapreneurs. My hope is that by providing them with true and relevant profiles, more people will confidently identify themselves as intrapreneurs.

      Also, leaders and organizations will benefit by improving their understanding of intrapreneurs in business. This book will allow leaders to better recognize the intrapreneurs in their organization, to understand how to motivate and manage intrapreneurs, to create an environment that supports intrapreneurs, and to drive for organizational improvements and bottom line growth by leveraging the unique facets of an intrapreneur.

      What is an intrapreneur?

      When I first started at my former employer, I was always curious about tunnels that veered off of a main hallway or hallways that were just behind a door that someone had walked through. Sometimes when I was getting a coffee and had a few minutes to myself, I would explore these passageways and find out where they went. As I climbed the ranks of management and my calendar got more packed with meetings, these passageways and alternative routes became a lifeline for me. When I had tag-alongs dodging with me from one meeting to the next, they were always surprised and shocked about how I got around campus. The reality is that these passageways were not ‘secret’ or ‘special’, they were there for everyone to use. The difference is that I had the interest to learn more about where they lead and then used this knowledge to reduce my travel time. It was something so simple, yet so different from the normal way that people operated.

      People have always told me that I was different and unique. In some cases being unique and different was a compliment, in others it was a put down. Regardless, I quickly learned that most of my colleagues and peers didn’t work the way that I worked and were not motivated the way that I was motivated. Yet, when I did find others that were like me, it was like finding business soul mates. We quickly came together, moved mountains, and accomplished things that people said could never be done. It was magical.

      I was introduced to the term, ‘intrapreneur,’ by an article that was in the Harvard Business Review back in the mid 2000s. I honestly cannot find the article that I read, but I know that I was traveling for business and almost popped out of my skin when I realized that I was an intrapreneur. I was so excited that I immediately told friends about my new intrapreneur identity; they would just cock their heads to the side and say, ‘Don’t you mean entrepreneur?’ It was frustrating because I really felt strongly that I was an intrapreneur, not an entrepreneur.

      I will admit that it is difficult to distinguish between intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs. Freedictionary.com currently defines an entrepreneur as “a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.” The same website defines an intrapreneur as “a person who while remaining within a larger organization uses entrepreneurial skills to