Stefan Raos is the general manager at vaccine maker Moderna Canada. Isabelle Daoust is the human resources business partner (HRBP) leader at Moderna Canada.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurship is often portrayed as the domain of scrappy startups, not large companies with standard operating procedures and matrixed organization charts. Yet, harnessing that initial spark, the energy that transforms ideas into enterprise, can be exactly what companies need to turn momentum into real-world solutions. In the face of rapid change, it can be the difference between spinning in place and scaling what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n
Fostering an in-house entrepreneurial mindset \u2013 what some call intrapreneurship \u2013 requires intention. It starts by creating a culture that encourages people to challenge the status quo, blur the lines of their job descriptions and embrace risks. That takes removing unnecessary complexity, celebrating ownership and modelling the behaviour.<\/p>\n
What does that look like in practice?<\/p>\n
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a team member identifying a provincial barrier and taking initiative to secure a meeting with a key government decision-maker, even though it fell outside the scope of their role. The result? A fast, decisive outcome that helped resolve a bottleneck for vaccine access. <\/p>\n
It could also look like a senior leader stepping in to troubleshoot logistics and coordinate trucking efforts to meet an urgent delivery need (another true story), rather than waiting for the \u201cright\u201d person to do it. <\/p>\n
In many cases, it\u2019s not one seismic change but many small acts of initiative that move a business culture forward. In fast-growing organizations, teams must navigate ambiguity, evolve their roles in real time and constantly recalibrate against emerging priorities.<\/p>\n
Intrapreneurship doesn\u2019t happen by accident. It takes place in environments where trust, psychological safety and clarity of purpose are deliberately cultivated. Leadership plays a critical role here. One of the most impactful things leaders can do is give people permission to act like owners. That means making it safe. <\/p>\n
As new tools such as artificial intelligence become part of the everyday workflow, leaders also play a key role in encouraging responsible experimentation: creating space for employees to test, learn and share how emerging technologies can support their work. It also means trusting that the people you hired are capable and willing to step up; they just need a clear green light and the right tools to do it. <\/p>\n
Modelling the behaviour also sends a clear message that it is valued and needed. Some people thrive in this kind of culture, and some don\u2019t. The goal is to attract and keep those who love it. <\/p>\n
Another component of maintaining that culture is acknowledging it is not for everyone. There have been instances where it took six months to a year to backfill a critical role. That\u2019s a burden we\u2019re willing to bear to find the right mindset.<\/p>\n
When people see their managers making judgment calls, operating in the grey or adjusting structures to fit the moment, they understand that adaptability isn\u2019t only allowed, it\u2019s expected. The same goes for celebrating effort even when things don\u2019t go as planned. Highlighting bold moves \u2013 not just big wins \u2013 helps reinforce that this culture is real, not performative.<\/p>\n
Of course, cultivating intrapreneurship doesn\u2019t mean abandoning structure. Structure and flexibility must co-exist. In bigger companies, structure often leads and people are coached to follow it. But nimble companies flip that logic: they rethink the structure often; if it\u2019s not serving the team, they change it. They use real-time feedback loops and priority check-ins to course-correct quickly and often. It\u2019s better to rethink a process midstream than to keep pushing forward with something that no longer fits.<\/p>\n
Striking this balance is one of the biggest leadership challenges. And too much initiative without alignment can lead to fragmentation or the dreaded \u201ctoo many cooks in the kitchen\u201d problem. This can also show up as FOMO (the fear of missing out): everyone wants to weigh in and, suddenly, a simple decision has 20 people\u2019s input. That\u2019s why communication and prioritization matter just as much as ambition.<\/p>\n
Another challenge? Hiring when it\u2019s not just about credentials; it\u2019s about curiosity, grit and the ability to navigate the unknown. The key is to look for people who see ambiguity as opportunity. People who embrace uncertainty often have a strong growth mindset and are intrinsically motivated to explore and learn. And give them permission to try, while providing honest feedback and consistent support, even if things don\u2019t go perfectly every time.<\/p>\n
The idea of growth in an intrapreneurial culture also looks different. Growth is not only vertical, it isn\u2019t always about climbing the ladder; it\u2019s often more horizontal. Progress is defined by learning and stretching into new areas, not just chasing status and compensation above everything else.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges, the payoff is immense. Intrapreneurs help companies evolve faster, adapt better and stay resilient under pressure. They create momentum from within, turning ideas into action and roadblocks into workarounds. And perhaps most importantly, they foster cultures where everyone feels a sense of purpose and accountability for the collective outcome.<\/p>\n
If Canada is serious about becoming a global powerhouse in fields such as AI and life sciences \u2013 sectors recently cited<\/a> by Prime Minister Mark Carney as key drivers of future economic prosperity, productivity and growth \u2013 then this mindset needs to be cultivated across the nation, and fast. <\/p>\n This column is part of Globe Careers\u2019 Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca\/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column <\/a>here<\/a>. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stefan Raos is the general manager at vaccine maker Moderna Canada. Isabelle Daoust is the human resources business…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[45,49,48,137,2922,4081],"class_list":{"0":"post-51552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-entrepreneurship","12":"tag-noastack","13":"tag-ordid20000"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}