As we dive headfirst into 2024: Building intrapreneurship is about to become your leadership superpower. Yep, you heard us right. Intrapreneurship is the secret sauce that’ll have your retail empire soaring to new heights.

So, what’s this buzzword we’re throwing at you? Intrapreneurship, folks, is all about cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit within your organisation. In other words, it’s about turning your team into a bunch of strategically creative mini-bosses who are ready to innovate, hustle, and take your retail game to the next level as if their lives depended on it.

Creating intrapreneurship all starts with you, the leader.

Here’s how to get started:

• Create a culture of innovation: First things first. You’ve got to foster a workplace culture where ideas are encouraged, not squashed. Make your team feel like they can speak up and share their wildest concepts without fearing rejection. 

Schedule a weekly session where everyone is encouraged to share an idea about a specific problem and just listen, big or small. The open forum serves as a safe space and will start to get the team comfortable with sharing and speaking up regularly.

Most importantly, if you ask for ideas and don’t assign responsibility to move the ideas forward or you’ll fail. You’ll have a culture of people who don’t take you seriously.

If you think you already do this but you aren’t getting anywhere, there is a deeper problem… Here’s how to identify and fix them.

• Gain the tools and give the support: Your team can’t rock the intrapreneurship game if you personally don’t have the right tools. Invest in learning about new resources and frameworks for healthy collaboration, to give your people the support they need to turn those ideas into reality. 

• Break down those silos: Retail isn’t just about one department; it’s a symphony of moving parts. Encourage cross-functional collaboration! When people with diverse skills and backgrounds come together, the sparks of innovation fly. If you can see that your business has siloes, create mini strategic projects which bring together different functions of the business to solve a problem. Take small steps towards a more agile workplace to smash those departmental silos and watch the magic happen.

• Fail forward: Look, not every idea’s going to be a winner, and that’s okay. The important thing is that the team understand what went wrong, and take learnings forward for the next project. Develop processes to teach your team to see failure as a stepping stone to success. Encourage formal retrospectives for all projects to get the team into the habit of evaluating wins and learnings which will foster stronger outcomes for the future.  It’s all about learning, iterating, and getting back in the game stronger than ever.

• Lead from the front: You’ve got to be the captain of this innovation ship. Show them that you’re not just talking the talk, but you’re walking the walk. Get involved, share your ideas, and lead by example. Your passion and enthusiasm are contagious, and they’ll inspire your team to follow suit.

Now, here’s the kicker – you don’t have to go at this intrapreneurship journey alone. There’s something big happening on February 28 2024, called HackGames. 

This is not your average volunteer day; it’s a free masterclass on design thinking & innovation with the end goal to innovate for Australian charities.

This year the theme is Hack for Heroes, where you will be using that creative ingenuity to hack solutions for Aussie charities including Homie, TLC for Kids, Confit Pathways and Share the Dignity.

Imagine this: You and your crew taking part in HackGames, surrounded by other innovative minds, all focused on pushing the envelope and creating real impact for our Aussie Heroes. It’s like a pressure cooker of creativity and collaboration. You’ll be exposed to new perspectives, fresh ideas, and cutting-edge solutions.

Attending to play HackGames in 2024 on February 28 is your ticket to unleashing the full potential of intrapreneurship within your retail empire. It’s where your team can flex their creative muscles, learn from the best, and come out stronger and more innovative than ever before, all while putting that bank of volunteer days to good use.

Spots for this prestigious event are limited and filling fast. Applying takes 2 minutes, so don’t sleep on this incredible opportunity to create impact and upskill this year. 

Intrapreneurship is the leadership superpower you need this year. It’s about creating a culture of innovation, implementing processes, providing support, breaking down silos, embracing failure, and leading from the front.

Experience all this and more at HackGames on February 28 – it’s the place to be if you’re looking to take your Leadership skills to the next level. So, what are you waiting for? Apply now: https://miacademy.com.au/events-workshops/hackgames-2024

• About the author: Alita Harvey-Rodriguez is founder and director of MI Academy.