As an employee of a company, you may sometimes feel that you can't change anything or raise your voice, contradicting strategic decisions. On our side, we deeply believe that it is possible today to drive change from within and to transform one's company regardless of one's position in the hierarchical pyramid. Sylvain did it, be inspired by his story!
Sylvain loves his job and his company. However, he found himself in conflict with his personal values and his desire to make an impact. He therefore decided not to quit his job and to carry his convictions and his desire for change within his company. He then became an intrapreneur. Now, he is raising awareness of the climate cause among all the employees of his company through a"Climate Academy" and is working to make the change concrete in all departments. Here is an extract of his interview!
Manon: Why did you start intrapreneurship?
Sylvain: I was told "if you want to have an impact you have to change your job and become an entrepreneur". So I went into Exploration thinking that I would come out of it with an entrepreneurial project. And it was wrong! During the Exploration weekend I became aware of my strengths, my unique talents, what I was passionate about... And thanks to the support of my coach, Pauline, I understood that I could also act within my company, by changing jobs internally at first, to move towards product development and innovation, to integrate the notion of sustainable development to reduce our impact on the environment.
Manon : What does the "Climate Academy" mean in concrete terms?
Sylvain: This is a project that targets all employees, only on a voluntary basis for those who are interested and want to learn more.
There is an awareness part, with workshops, frescos... And an action part. We are currently a team of 8 employees, from several departments to facilitate communication. We try to set up projects on the main pillars of the carbon footprint by looking for solutions. The idea is to help people take one step at a time.
Manon : What has marked you in the Exploration?
Sylvain: Coaching with Pauline was very useful, it allowed me to frame myself and give me a direction in which to move forward.
Also, the collective weekend brought something more than a simple coaching or skills assessment. It gives us a time frame, we say "Ok I'll give it my all for 48 hours". It allows us to see that we are not alone, other than reading books, blogs or articles on Linkedin, we are really together.
Manon : Exploration in 3 words according to you
Sylvain: Rich, Fun and Revealing!
Manon: Your advice for taking action
Sylvain: If you have a little flame inside you that says "I want to go and make things happen" then you have to feed this flame to take action. You also need to surround yourself with people who help you keep that flame alive, "when you feel alone, you need to find allies to move forward and not give up"!
For even more inspiration, you can watch his entire interview!
If you too want to make a difference, whether within your company or even through a career change, then we suggest you take action by participating in the Exploration program! Our Impact Competency Assessment is for anyone who wants to find the job that combines meaning, fulfillment and positive impact. You can do it in parallel with your current job and it can be financed by your CPF!
