Lessons from more than a decade of Intrapreneurship @ PayPal
Most entrepreneurs are innovators; however, not all innovators are entrepreneurs. Some innovate from within their companies and thrive as…
Most entrepreneurs are innovators; however, not all innovators are entrepreneurs. Some innovate from within their companies and thrive as intrapreneurs. The topic of intrapreneurship has been a subject of discussion quite often since the last few years. They are not as recognized in the industry as startup founders or entrepreneurs but they definitely deserve some recognition for their contribution to the company. If you are one of them, then this article might help you build this muscle. In case you happen to be one or know of any such person then please share their names in comments and the projects that they have worked on.
I have had the pleasure of working at PayPal in several different roles ranging from Data, Technical Product Management, Product Strategy, Architecture, Product Management, Social Innovation, etc., The one thing that has helped me stay hyper charged was the culture of creativity. It has been gratifying to start new programs and see them succeed and flourish. I could not have done it without the support of the company, leaders and some amazing colleagues.
In the last few years, I co-founded and started a few programs. All of these started as grassroots efforts but have eventually grown into successful programs. A few of them are below.
PayPal Business Challenge connects employees to give back to the communities they work and live in. Participants come together and partner with local small businesses for six months, giving 10% of their time in solving important business, marketing or tech challenges faced by them.
Opportunity Hack: Opportunity Hack connects nonprofits to skilled participants and creates a way for them to give back to nonprofits. Today, the hack is run in 4 countries and 7 cities by passionate teams and leaders across the globe. It has turned into a movement with some great leaders. The hacks in the different locations have won awards, been written about and celebrated for driving impact.
Financial Exclusion Immersion workshop: Inspired by customer discovery we did in early 2015 and also by colleagues who were familiar with the financially underserved segment, I wanted to help the rest of my colleagues truly understand what it means to be financially excluded. In order to achieve this, I have been leading a small group of colleagues to design the workshop. These workshops are designed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the financially excluded by asking employees to step into their shoes. The first-hand experience of having to pay bills, earn money, etc., without access to traditional financial services enables teams to personally connect to our mission and imagine new ways they can work on to improve the financial health of the people we serve. The workshop helps our employees truly walk the shoes of the customers and getting a hands one experience of the ground situation.
Product Excellence @ PayPal was a team I was able to bring together over the course of 2018. Product Managers from several teams came together to focus on the growth and development of our PMs (including us). This team is working on all aspects of product management craft. We are already seeing some early results of how this program helped her daughter.
In addition to these successful ones. (though I feel that these are just the beginnings of these programs and the success stories are yet to be complete and it would take a lot longer) I had tried a few others that did not materialize. But for those that were successful, there were certain factors that helped me. In their article, Vijay Govindarajan and Jain Desai mentioned that there are some traits of intrapreneurs that stand out and I wanted to highlight the following to help my initiatives.
Purpose: Most intrapreneurs are motivated by the spirit of innovation. They are driven by solving tough problems. Money is not a motivation, but the purpose is. Key incentives are generally the results, impact and the excitement of solving a tough challenge.
Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been: Intrapreneurs like entrepreneurs are always a few steps ahead of the rest. They are constantly assessing the market, company, the pulse of people to understand directing markets accordingly. They don’t wait for others to solve a problem. If they see a problem, they are typically the ones solving them.
Grit: They are relentless. They work until they find a solution to the challenge at hand. They are not easy to give up. But at the same time, they don’t fall in love with their ideas. They work until they find the right solution to the problem at hand. But they are also great at pivoting because their goal is to solve the problem. They are courageous in shifting strategy and direction because they are focused on the outcomes.
Simple but reliable personality: Good intrapreneurs have a combination of humility and confidence. They lead but also do a lot of the upfront groundwork. They inspire but also do most of the grunt work. Moreover, they set vision yet remain flexible to the solutions. They are great at bringing people together toward a common mission.
Creating Opportunities for others: Through the creation of programs, intrapreneurs create opportunities for others. Opportunity to solve an interesting problem, to lead, to work on a side hustle, to shine, etc., When they do so, their programs succeed because it is rarely about themselves but about others.
Are you an intrapreneur? If so I applaud you for your work. Please share your stories in the comments below