The Age of the Intrapreneur M
ost of us are uncomfortable with being uncomfortable. But, pushing yourself in new ways unlocks new thinking. You end up seeing the world from a different perspective, and as a result, your true potential and purpose starts to shine through. As one of our clients, Lauren is an Account Director at a large advertising agency in New York. Through her agency, she was chosen to engage in a professional development programme with The International Exchange (TIE) whose focus is to disrupt the comfort zones of seasoned professionals, with a view to impact them, their companies, and the world. She found herself working with a marine conservation organisation called the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) in Tofo, Mozambique for 30 days, while still fully employed by her company. 8 | Africa Outlook issue 95
Philippa White, Founder and CEO of The International Exchange talks through the rise of the intrapreneur, and the importance of leaving your comfort zone to create positive change Written by: Philippa White, Founder and CEO of The International Exchange
Her objective was to work with the organisation to create cut through communication materials that would help position them to potential donors. Everyone at MMF was completely dedicated and passionate to the cause – cleaning the plastic from the beaches and working to preserve the ocean life. The impact of their work is extraordinary.
At the end of Lauren’s experience, she wondered how on earth she could go back to the corporate world. But after working closely with the coaches on the TIE programme, and reflecting on the experience further, she was reminded that if everyone left the private sector, how will it ever change? She realised that she could use what she’d learnt about herself and the real world from her programme in Mozambique, to make a positive impact on the planet – using what she knew and leveraging the financial and human resources she had at her fingertips. She realised she needed to look at impacting the private sector from a systemic point of view – which could be a bigger change than simply cleaning up the plastic from one beach. She returned to New York inspired, saying that she could start to be the driver of change by being the one to
