Recently I was asked to moderate a panel at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual business expo.  It was entitled Intrapreneurship: Thriving in a Corporate Environment.

To be frank I was a bit clueless about this topic before the event.  I thought the word intrapreneurship sounded like one of those 21^st century made-up concepts to help people within corporations feel less like just another cog in the wheel.

I could not have been more wrong.

The fifty-minute panel taught me that intrapreneurship is about affecting real change within large corporate structures and within the people who take on the challenge.

And it takes guts!

Each of the panelists was gay and discussed with an infectious passion the details of creating LGBT organizations/groups within their corporate behemoths to effect change.  We are talking about the kind of change that creates an inclusive environment for everyone, gay or straight.

The audience was absolutely mesmerized by their stories.  Then a brave soul asked an outstanding question:  Why does inclusiveness even matter?

Well, the answer was swift and resonated with me very strongly.  An executive at Kaiser Permanente discussed how, about ten years ago, he was approached by a young colleague who was distraught over having to hide his orientation.

The executive then thought about how this must impact all LGBT employees’ job performance.  How could that angst and anxiety be good for productivity, for customer service, or for the esprit de corps that generates teams of people who see obstacles as opportunities?

The irony?  The executive was himself gay and in the closet.  And as he reflected on his own job performance he realized how exhausting and unproductive it is to pretend and to lie.  So the conversation with his employee thrust him out of his closet and for the past ten years he and his advocacy group (called KP Pride) at Kaiser have been educating staff and caregivers on how to approach co-workers, caregivers and patients about all aspects of sexuality and health.

These men help to remind me that change happens all the time, and at all levels when people make it happen.  They were allowing their introspection to create positive action.

So I thought I would share some more of their secrets . . .

1. Risk Tolerance: Not sure your company’s culture would support an advocacy/outreach group?  Well, work within the culture of the organization but remain risk tolerant.  Build strategic alliances and partners.

2. ROI: Not sure there is a substantial return on the investment for the company related to the group?  Then find it and never stop talking about it to your superiors.

3. Copy: Not sure how to get started? Copy, copy, copy!  There are tons of examples within corporate America of women and men advocating for equality/change.  Talk to them, borrow from them and experiment.

4. Inclusive Hedge: Not sure the world is ready for your cause?  Well as the world becomes more inclusive at frankly breathtaking speed, companies that espouse equality, and show it, are more likely to appeal to a wider clientele.  It’s not cool to be a bigot anymore.  Perhaps the world is ready but you are not?

What’s the wider lesson for all of us inside and outside of corporations?

I have written about this many times over the past few years.  The sexuality closet is just one of many closets we explore each and every day of our lives.  Go ahead, explore yours, and once you come out of it, the life you have longed for is closer than you think.

So stop hiding, stop pretending, stop showing up one way to some people/clients and another way to others.  Be one you.  Heck it’s less exhausting and entirely more revealing.

Become your own introspective intrapreneur . . . and then act.

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If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.