What Is a Corporate Entrepreneur?

Simply stated, a Corporate Entrepreneur is the "spark" that ignites innovation, renews passion and entrepreneurial thinking within an organization.

They are pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for, although, they are quite rare within most corporate cultures. There's a host of reasons why they are so rare in corporate america today, so for the sake of time, both yours and mine, I'll expose just three.
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Their passion to contribute, their mojo to stand, share and deliver, has been stifled by naysayers, status-quo advocates and the herd mentality of anti-change agents. All three of which, make up the majority of always contentious voices, whether these voices are disgruntled employees, feckless politicians or group-think victim activist.​

Conversely, Corporate Entrepreneur's possess three attributes that drives them towards their objective. In most cases, they are born with these attributes. First and foremost, they have a great sense of passion. Passion for whatever it is that compels them forward, regardless of risk. So much so, that it is contagious...and I mean that in a good way.

Secondly, corporate entrepreneur's are visionaries. They see the bigger picture before them. They see things differently than most. They envision solutions to whatever the challenge or obstacle is and are not afraid of risking their reputation to be heard, once they believe there is something worthy of being shared, communicated or tried.

​Thirdly, in their wake, you will find others that have caught a glimpse into their vision, have been touched and motivated by their passion and inspired to join the cause. We'll call this third attribute, inspiration.

Corporate entrepreneur's simply have a knack for seeing and communicating a vision others don't see. When they grasp it fully, they not only see the solution to a problem, they know how to approach potential champion advocates, present effectively the solution (s) to rally others to engage, and know how to build consensus with relevant stakeholders, influencers and shareholder beneficiaries.

So if by chance, you are reading this article and can relate, that's awesome. If you believe you are indeed a rare breed, a corporate entrepreneur that has simply lost your mojo for whatever reason, I encourage you to reexamine who you are deep inside, and reignite the "spark" within that fuels and regenerates the passion, vision and inspiration.

In doing so, you not only can make a difference...you will make a difference within your sphere of influence. With all the negative news of late, the stresses of life and the stresses that always come this time of year, remember this: your light, your smile, your ideas, your passion to envision and ability to inspire, is what we need more of.  So go ahead and let your light shine.