On Becoming an Intrapreneur

By Katina Krittenen
Director of Software Development
Charter Communications

On my first day at The Cable Center’s Intrapreneurship Academy—or “IA”—I did not know what to expect. I had never thought of myself as being an innovator, but by the end of the program, I had emerged as a new type of leader with a new mindset.

My participation in the IA program strengthened my entrepreneurial skillset, including negotiation and communication skills so I could innovate from within. Identifying the “jobs to be done” for a given project; fostering collaboration and communication between teams to solve complex problems; and building internal relationships to enable quality delivery of products and services, are all new skills I adapted and applied to my work.

Throughout my journey, I learned a lot about myself and was able to identify areas for self-improvement. I am continually leveraging the communication and leadership skills that I learned in IA, especially in “knowing my audience.” This improved my communication skills with business leaders and key stakeholders, and how I translate the technical details behind how the products we build deliver value to our customers.

Demonstrating the innovation process that I learned has given me valuable exposure to executives. I proactively observe technical challenges, innovate on-the-fly with creative problem-solving approaches, and practice techniques to develop new ideas. I credit the skills I learned in the program, and the project I developed, for helping me get promoted to my new role.

My role today requires that I innovate. I manage a team that is responsible for the integration of software design and development projects within Charter Communications. My day-to-day responsibilities require strategic technical design and solutions skills. I help move business initiatives from the ideation phases through development for implementation and delivery for customer use – skills I honed at IA.

I would, and often do, recommend IA to anyone and everyone.

Editor’s note: The Cable Center’s Intrapreneurship Academy consists of two days of on-site training at The Cable Center in Denver, followed by six weeks of online classroom instruction, and concluding with a two-day capstone back at The Cable Center. Classes are held throughout the year. For more information and to register, visit www.intrapreneurshipacademy.org.