According to the 2024 Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, ‘employees are not engaged (62%) at work – and those who show up, do the bare minimum.’ Do you want your company to avoid being part of these stats? Turn your employees into intreperenurs!
An intrapreneur is a team member who may not own part of a business legally or financially but interacts with it like an owner. They’ve moved past employee mentality to have big-picture conversations about topics such as ROI, capacity, and profit margins.
When you realize you have a great team member transitioning into an intrapreneur, it’s crucial that you support their growth so they don’t slip backward. How can you do this?
Step Up and Speak Out
You’ve been forced to communicate since before you could speak. Unfortunately, knowing you’re supposed to communicate well with others is very different than actually doing it. At times in the workplace, we fear speaking the truth; it’s often easier to remain silent to avoid difficult conversations.
However, the number one strategy for building a great team is becoming comfortable with the idea of communicating with your employees and stakeholders so everyone can prosper, grow, and change.
When you set aside your ego and lift up others, your team will trust your decisions and actions. We can best reach excellence when we create a solid, supportive environment where everyone can thrive—not simply survive.
Remember that communication is a choice. We have the power to choose how we talk with those in our space as well as if we talk at all. And silence may be even more detrimental than thoughtless conversation. Silence causes us to falter in our collective company goals. Try to have clear conversations with your team.
Tips to Encourage Crucial Conversations
- Shut the door. It’s that simple. It’s hard to be empowered with interruptions and outside distractions.
- Turn off cell phones. Nothing is more disrespectful than taking up someone’s time for a conversation and then stopping to text or answer your phone.
- Start with a “thank you.” Again, simple. Start with, “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.”
- Begin with your goal, the “who,” and the “what.” Rather than starting with an explanation that the other person may not follow, begin by stating your goal. “I’d like to talk for a minute about how to get better turnaround times. I have some ideas I’d like to share.”
- Write down your points. It’s easy to get emotional and off track during a tough conversation. Write down your key points to keep yourself on track and avoid getting flustered. Your notes will also separate emotions from facts.
- Be clear on your intentions. The other person may not agree, but you can maintain, or even earn, their respect. Always be clear that you’re bringing up a problem to come up with a solution, not to complain or vent.
Set Clear Goals for Maximum Impact
Team members are not often measured, which can give them a constant anxious feeling of, “Are we winning or failing?” That’s why people slip into the mindset of, “Well, as long as my boss seems to like me and be pleased with my work, I must be winning.” That’s a very ineffective way to measure performance. It’s very subjective and fails to reveal whether the employee is doing the company any good. It also makes it difficult for an employer to evaluate an employee other than in a subjective way.
Be specific with measurable goals. We all need to know where we are winning and where we are missing the mark, and we can only do that with measurement. Build in time to review the measurements and discuss how to keep winning and how to improve on the misses.
More Practical Tips
To improve team efficiency, you can implement a few additional practical tips:
- Schedule weekly meetings with your employees to check in on goals, challenges, and big-picture conversations. Staying connected and allowing your team access to you is essential to keeping them in the bigger picture.
- Find a forum for them to participate with like-minded team members who are also up to big things. Most successful entrepreneurs have coaching programs, organizations, etc. where you go to hang with colleagues – both for the education and training you receive and for the sharing of ideas and inspiration you get from your peers.
Give your intrapreneur the same resource and see how they flourish. Simply letting them know they aren’t alone and providing them with a community of like-minded intrapreneurs is a gift of priceless value that will deliver a tremendous ROI.
Transforming employees into intrapreneurs is not just about redefining roles within a company; it’s a fundamental shift in mindset that allows employees to feel personally invested in the success of the business. If you want to turn your employees into these intrapreneurs, start with simple steps – begin by having honest conversations, share measurable goals with them, and continuously educate and train them.
