Rudolf The Red-Nosed Intrapreneur
Although intrapreneurship as a concept and movement wasn’t established until the late 1970’s (as outlined in my post “Reinventing the ‘Intrapreneur’ for the 21st Century“), intrapreneurs have existed and operated for much longer, despite not being tagged as such. A classic case is the renowned innovator and leader, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolf operated within an organisation stagnating after centuries of status-quo management and a lack of development, yet he used key intrapreneurial characteristics to facilitate change and move the business in a new direction:
Self Belief and Determination
The other reindeers may have mocked him and called him names, yet Rudolf maintained a sense of purpose and belief in his own abilities. He held an un-waving commitment to success, biding his time until conditions were appropriate to move his agenda forward. He didn’t let criticism faze him, instead holding stead-fast to his passions, goals and ambitions. By focussing on these and believing in his mission Rudolf was ultimately successful, going down in history.
Game-Changing, Innovative Thinking
Clearly Rudolf’s most prominent display of intrapreneurial behaviour was in creating an innovative solution to an immediate threat facing the organization, i.e. the foggy nature of that Christmas Eve was liable to cause significant disruption to service which would have led to a disgruntled and disenfranchised customer base. By using his glowing red nose to guide the sleigh that night, Rudolf employed a technical development to define a new way-of-working for the business which generated sustainable efficiencies, enabled faster delivery, and led to enhanced customer satisfaction.
Identifying and Utilising Key Assets
Rudolf was able to identify and maximise his key asset, his very shiny nose. This was central to his success and provided significant added-value to the organisation. Although the benefits of this weren’t apparent at first, a change in the external environment created the conditions where this asset became of immense value. Many innovations within business have historically been based on identifying new uses for existing assets, or where conditions have changed making it possible to leverage assets in a new way. Rudolf perfectly positioned his key asset to address an immediate change in conditions, resulting in increased value and delivering real innovation.
Leadership
Rudolf was able to harness his team and lead them towards a shared goal, i.e. the successful delivery of presents to girls and boys around the world. As the pinnacle of the team he had to set the direction and ensure that the other reindeers followed his lead whilst feeling valued members of a winning team. To achieve this it was imperative that they had belief and trust in him, which he earned through his passion, commitment and an inspiring vision. It was also important that Rudolf was able to gain the confidence and endorsement of senior management for his plans. This gave him the remit and scope to empower change.
Rudolf is a great example of a self-starter intrapreneur. He operated within an existing structure, yet was able to create his own legacy through determination, innovation and leadership, moving the organisation in a new direction to address an immediate threat and building a sustainable platform for success.
A Merry Christmas to Marketers and Intrapreneurs everywhere.
In2Marketing 