THE INSIDE JOB

The Intrapreneur’s Toolkit to Mastermind Meaningful Change and Innovation

Available Now

in physical, digital, and audiobook

What Experts Say

Essey combines real-world stories, practical tools, and hard-won wisdom to create a field guide for anyone trying to drive meaningful change from within.

Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way

When you find yourself working in your enterprise’s Incubation Zone, you quickly realize that, unlike with the Performance Zone or the Productivity Zone, there is no established playbook to work from. Well, now there is. Ed Essey’s The Inside Job is as good as it gets.

Geoffrey A. Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win

The Inside Job is a book about the inner work that each of us needs to do to become a better – more confident, caring, and effective – human being. Packed with wisdom and tools in equal measure, this is a book to be put to immediate use.

Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis professor of leadership at Harvard Business School and author of Right Kind of Wrong

The Inside Job is a rare combination: a compelling narrative with tools that stand up in real organizations. Ed translates the complex into something clear, teachable, and immediately actionable.

Nicole Forsgren, PhD, coauthor of Accelerate and Frictionless

For too long, intrapreneurs played defense inside big companies. The Inside Job hands you the offensive playbook—how to think like a founder, act like a builder, and create real growth from within.”

Marcus Daniels, founding partner and CEO at Highline Beta

Very few can write with credibility on the topic of intrapreneurship. Ed Essey has worked at the heartbeat of Microsoft’s novel intrapreneurship program for over a decade and his depth and breadth of experience shine in this practical and clever book that belongs in the hands of anyone who wants to innovate.

Brian Evergreen, CEO at The Future Solving Company and author of Autonomous Transformation

Ed Essey has not only been able to successfully deliver innovation himself, but he also codified an approach that enabled thousands of others within Microsoft to do the same. Anyone with ‘innovation’ in their title would be wise to learn from Ed’s (ad)ventures as captured in this book. The game is on!”

Hans Balmaekers, chief at Innov8rs

Ed Essey delivers the pep talk, toolkit, and reframing that intrapreneurs have been waiting for. This book is playful while staying practical, insightful, and realistic. It belongs within arm’s reach of anyone trying to change the world from the inside out.

Therese Huston, PhD, author of Let’s Talk, Sharp,and How Women Decide

If you’re an intrapreneur navigating the politics of a large organization, this is the coach-in-your-pocket you’ve been looking for.”

Susie Braam, innovation advisor and former head of innovation with UK national security

Ed Essey blends expert knowledge with battle-tested experience, and he has an incredible way of helping teams see possibilities they didn’t know were there. This book is a perfect reflection of the way he shows up in real life—empowering, practical, and genuinely transformative. Any innovator or intrapreneur will walk away with tools they can put into action immediately.

Jack Callaghan, director at Plug and Play Seattle

Driving innovation in large organizations is as engaging and thrilling as a heist movie.

Are you ready to embark on the adventure of transforming your ideas into impactful realities? In The Inside Job, Ed Essey, a senior director at The Microsoft Garage with decades of experience in driving innovation, offers just that: a game-changing guide for high performers and innovation leaders who refuse to settle and want to empower their crew so bold ideas flourish.

Inspired by the narrative style of a heist story, The Inside Job combines practical advice and engaging storytelling from a mastermind intrapreneur. It shows you the essential skills you need to create change. Filled with examples from intrapreneurs who have been coached by Essey himself, The Inside Job uses real-world cases to illustrate concepts. Each chapter provides strategies, tools, and moves that you can immediately apply to foster innovation within your organization. Hand-drawn images add a personal and visual touch. You will learn the secrets to

navigating with your own internal compass,
assembling a diverse and effective crew,
identifying and seizing valuable opportunities,
developing and leveraging each crew member’s unique skills,
conducting thorough research and creating strategic plans,
executing plans with precision and adapting to unexpected challenges, and
celebrating success and ensuring long-term impact.

Inside The Inside Job

With The Inside Job, Ed Essey provides intrapreneurs and innovation leaders with the confidence and tools needed to navigate their organizations’ internal processes, secure sponsorship, and turn vision into results. Whether you’re a seasoned intrapreneur, top performer, or just starting your journey, this book will empower you to drive innovation—from turning on the ignition to making a clean getaway—and ensure what you’ve pulled off stands the test of time.

Audiobook

There’s nothing like a well-produced audiobook that’s narrated by the author. Now you can listen to Ed read an excerpt from The Inside Job.