What type of ‘…preneur’ are YOU?
By Excelia
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When it comes to defining your professional project, a crucial step is to ask yourself about the type of mindset you would like to cultivate and develop.
This is what we call a ‘professional mindset’. This mindset refers to a certain attitude and stance as a business ‘…preneur’! Broadly speaking, Intrapreneurs are employees within an organisation (e.g. a company), displaying a business development and managerial mindset that contributes to the growth and sustainability of the organisation. Extrapreneurs are more commonly known as consultants. They operate outside of an organisation but provide temporary support and expertise for specific projects on behalf of an organisation. They have a constantly evolving mindset in order to produce decision support tools for organisations across a wide variety of projects and assignments. Finally, Entrepreneurs create their own business and design all the stages of the ‘rocket’ that they intend to build, get off the ground, and steer towards objectives that will make their activity sustainable, efficient and effective! At first glance, the differences between these 3 types of ‘…preneurs’, and their associated mindsets, may seem somewhat ambiguous!
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That’s because they are! But why?
Intrapreneurs work within an existing organisation and help to further develop it. Extrapreneurs set up their own business to then work on behalf of other existing organisations. They therefore wear 3 hats in their role as business creator… as an Entrepreneur (sometimes), as an Intrapreneur because they develop and innovate within their own organisation (sometimes), and as an Extrapreneur, their core business being working externally on behalf of other organisations (always). Finally, Entrepreneurs… they create and develop their own business, for which, at least in the beginning, they design the ‘Go/No-Go’ and other decision support tools for its development, in the same way consultants do. In short, 3 different mindsets but all working in business development!
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So, what are the differences?
The differences are best understood in the context of the workplace, i.e. the different working environments. Intrapreneurs work within an organisation, Extrapreneurs work on behalf of an organisation (and this can be within their own business or that of their client), and Entrepreneurs work within their own business.
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As far as mindsets are concerned, there are very few differences… ALL professionals must be entrepreneurs!
Whether or not they create their own company, club, association, NGO, etc., all organisations expect proactive, creative, innovative, versatile employee profiles, with sufficient emotional intelligence and leadership skills to inspire others towards improved performance and sustainable development and growth.
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In summary, companies expect, and actively hunt out, entrepreneurs!
Therefore, when developing your professional project, make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of success by acquiring an entrepreneurial mindset! This will ensure that your profile is not only relevant and attractive, but will also give you access to a wide range of career opportunities throughout your professional life. An accessible, versatile profile... particularly valuable in a job market that can often be somewhat ‘inaccessible’ to younger talent!
