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Intrapreneurship at Wiley: The Emerging Leaders Initiative
In April 2015, during a casual conversation in a seventh-floor
walkup in the heart of Upper Manhattan, Digital Delivery
Manager Darnell Sessoms and Integrated Systems and
Product Analytics Specialist Jack Pace unintentionally
mapped the blueprints of the Emerging Leaders Initiative.
Immediately recognizing the potential of their idea, Darnell
and Jack called on Associate Development Editor Rebecca
Costantini to help organize the initiative.
“We started ELI because of the need to attract and retain
‘junior-level’ talent – colleagues who, like us, want to
develop as leaders,” Darnell says. “As members of this
demographic, we understand how difficult it can be to develop
professionally, feel empowered, and know that we are
contributing innovative ideas to the company.”
ELI embodies the spirit of intrapreneurship by fostering
a creative atmosphere for ideation, thought sharing, and
productive discussions. The initiative’s vision includes
creating a comfortable, risk-free environment for emerging
talent to share innovative ideas, collaborate, and develop
professionally.
“With ELI, we wanted to leverage existing talent to teach
skills to others in the organization,” Jack notes. “We didn’t
know how successful it was going to be because this has
never been done before. With the backing of great executive
sponsors, effective speakers, and an amazing group of
talented individuals, it exceeded expectations.”
With support from ELI’s executive sponsors, Laurie
Rosatone, VP, Director, Market Solutions, and Paul Labay,
VP, Digital Delivery, the initiative launched as a six-month pilot
rooted in the former Global Education business from June
to December 2015. The ELI’s 12 members were selected
and vetted based on recommendations from managers and
directors within the former Global Ed.
During the pilot, the group met twice each month for
brainstorming sessions called W.E.L.L. (Wiley Emerging
Leaders Lab) to discuss ideas and share feedback on relevant
trends within the industry, as well as ongoing projects. The
group also had an opportunity to take courses at General
Assembly, an educational institution in New York City that
offers courses on technology, web development, and design.
“ELI generated confidence and excitement within a
group of people who would not normally interact
with each other on a daily basis,” says Rebecca.
“Getting to know the group meant getting to
know different aspects of Learning Solutions,
especially through W.E.L.L. meetings, where
discussions were endless and productive.”
The group also hosted a series of workshops
that were open to all Hoboken colleagues,
such as Project Management with Paul Labay
and Know Your Customer with Director of
Customer Experience Petra Steriti. The workshops
focused on enhancing colleagues’ professional
development.
As the pilot progressed, ELI met with President and CEO
Mark Allin and Chairman of the Board Matthew Kissner to
discuss employee retention, talent development, and past
career experiences. The group also coordinated and hosted
a panel on leadership at IndieGrove, a co-working space in
nearby Jersey City. The panel was moderated by Customer
Engagement Manager Emily McInerney and Product Manager
Sarah Suter, and the panelists included three Wiley colleagues
— Product Design Manager Lydia Cheng, Associate Director
of Digital Delivery Hiral Lai, and VP, Government Affairs,
Andrew Tein — as well as two external CEOs: Tina Powell, the
founder and CEO of SheCapital, and Aaron Price, the founder
of Rocketfuel.cc and NJ Tech Meetup.
Although the pilot phase has concluded, ELI members are
hopeful about the initiative’s future at Wiley and are currently
working with the Talent Development team to share this
learning more broadly and create a template approach for
other colleagues who are interested in creating similar groups.
COVER
STORY
ELI Members
June – December 2015
Ale Barciela
Assistant Development Editor
Katherine Bull
Sales Representative
Calvin Daniel
Associate Web Specialist
John Duval
Media Specialist
Mallory Fryc
Assistant Development Editor
Elizabeth Kearns
Marketing Coodinator
Rita Ostrova
Customer Relations
and Channel Marketing
Coordinator
Ben Sunshine
Sales Support Coodinator
Ingrid Zapata
Sales Representative
LEFT: Participants listen intently as the leadership panelists engage in
discussion
BELOW: Jack Pace, Rebecca Costantini, and Darnell Sessoms at the
leadership panel in Jersey City
INTRAPRENEURSHIP
The act of behaving like an entrepreneur while
working within a large organization; the practice
of a corporate management style that integrates
risk-taking and innovation approaches, as well as the
rewards and motivational techniques that are more traditionally
thought of as being the province of entrepreneurship.