Council Post: Four Questions To Ask Yourself When Looking To Hire An ‘Intrapreneur’

Dr. Brad Poppie is a passionate and successful serial entrepreneur, speaker and author. His latest published book is The New Intrapreneur.

Hiring new employees for your company can prove to be a daunting task. Prospective applicants can range not only from different generational age gaps but also from educational backgrounds.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve observed that value has been placed on one’s educational background and the degree they hang on the wall. In the past, I hired candidates solely based on their credentials. This hiring method proved time and time again that these employees typically ended up working merely for the money and not the overall company values. Today, I believe a prestigious degree is not necessarily the most important predictor of how the new hire will perform within your organization.

From my perspective, a new breed of employees has surfaced into the workforce, and they are called “intrapreneurs.” An intrapreneur is an entrepreneurial-minded employee who works for your organization and focuses autonomously on business growth without actually funding it.

The utmost importance of how the new hire embraces the mission, vision and purpose of the organization should take precedence, and this is right up the intrapreneur’s alley. Intrapreneurs believe in what the company stands for and therefore work for the greater good of the organization in addition to believing in the work they are doing. Sometimes these gems already exist within your organization. Many established employees have the intrapreneurial spirit and just don’t know it. Other times, you might be looking for a new hire who displays intrapreneurial traits.

There are four key questions an employer should ask themselves when looking to hire intrapreneurial staff members. These can help you assess a candidate’s intraprenurial mindset, as well as ensure they are in line with your company from the start:

1. Is the candidate a good fit for the company? It’s important to hire an employee who will understand and embrace the culture of your company and their role within it. From past experience, I’ve found that asking candidates what three words best describe them, as well as what values are most important to them inside and outside of the workplace, can be a helpful exercise in determining if they will be a good fit for your company and not someone who is focused on just getting a paycheck.

Another question to consider is, “Do you work more efficiently and effectively with a team or independently?” A great intrapreneur wants to be involved in the day-to-day operations and is able to make decisions rather than seeking management approval every step of the way.

2. Is the candidate actually interested in the job? I believe passion in the workplace means employees are more engaged. They love what they do and who they’re representing. An easy way to gauge interest is to ask questions. Examples are:

• What would you do for no pay?

• What is something you like to do that when immersed in it, you often lose track of time?

• What do you admire the most about this industry?

Find out from the start what interests them most. Look for creativity in their answers, not just generic responses. Learn what drives them and why they enjoy working in your specific industry.

3. Is the candidate a team player? It’s important the candidate will not only fit into your company’s culture but also that they will mesh well with your team. A good way to help ensure that your candidate is “the one” is to include other employees — including not only their potential managers but also peers — in the interview process.

Encourage your team members who are conducting those interviews to look for positive traits in the candidate. These traits can include valuing other team members, having a commitment to constantly learn, enthusiastically participating in discussions and being a self-motivator.

4. Does the candidate pass a behavioral interview? How the candidate has approached a variety of previous work situations can help determine if the candidate’s personality, style and behavior are congruent with the style used within your company. A simple pre-employment personality test can help identify if the candidate is a good match with your company’s culture, mission and vision.

Remember, however, that these behavioral and personality tests are only a guide. In my experience, you have to not only take the test responses but also your gut reaction into consideration when making the hire.

Setting Intrapreneurs Up For Success

By properly screening your prospective applicants, you can help minimize the chance that your new hire will be working solely for a paycheck versus the greater good of the organization.

That said, keep in mind that employees are only as strong as the leadership that they receive. While many intrapreneurs have leadership qualities, they still revert to the business owner for guidance and support throughout their day-to-day operations.

Remember to set your employees up for success by providing them with the resources to excel, collaborating with them to seek solutions and providing support for risk-taking — even if they fail. Sometimes, these moments pave the way for greatness within your organization. 

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