Why ‘champions’ aren’t enough. How to create evangelists to motivate teams and energise change.
If you’ve ever tried to introduce something new in your business—whether it’s a new system, process, or way of working—you’ll know how hard it can be to get people on board. The advice is always the same: “Find a champion.”, as in someone who’ll back you, push the change through, and get everyone else to follow.
And sure, that can work. For a while. But here’s the problem: champions can only take you so far. If you really want change to stick, you need something more. You need evangelists.
What’s the difference?
A champion is often appointed. They’re the person tasked with “owning” the new system or process. It becomes their job to make sure it works. An evangelist is different. They don’t just own the change; they believe in it. They’re not selling the idea because they have to. They’re talking about it because they want to—because they’ve seen the value themselves. And that energy is contagious!
Why champions struggle
We’ve seen this happen with plenty of businesses we work with: The owner wants to introduce a new system like a new billing process, time tracking app or customer portal. They appoint someone in the team to “champion” it. That person puts in a good shift—runs the meetings, sends out emails, maybe even does a bit of training. But after the initial push? Things stall.
The team quietly goes back to doing things the old way. Adoption drops off. And everyone wonders why this “transformation” didn’t deliver. It’s because you don’t just need one person driving change. You need momentum, which is what you get when more than one person believes in the benefits of what is going to happen.
What evangelists do differently
An evangelist isn’t waiting for a project meeting to talk about the change. They’re chatting about it at lunch. They’re showing someone a quicker way to do something while they’re making a coffee. They’re telling people how it made their life easier—and they’re doing it in their own words. They create energy. And energy gets people moving.
How to create evangelists (not just champions)
Involve people early…
Evangelists aren’t born out of an email saying, “We’re doing this now.”, they’re made by being part of the process from the start. By involving your people from the beginning when you’re choosing a system or designing a new way of working it lets them have a say, developing a sense of ownership. If people feel ownership early on, most will develop a sense of belonging and a vested interest in the success or failure of a project.
Talk about the benefits until the cows come home!
People don’t buy into “change” because it’s the right thing to do. They buy in because they feel the benefit. Find quick, practical wins and make them visible. Did the new process save someone two hours last week? Tell people. Shout about it. Evangelists are often the ones who experience those early wins—and they’ll talk about them if they’re real.
People follow people, not projects
If you’re leading change in your business, remember this: Processes and systems don’t energise teams, people do. And while a champion can run the project, it’s evangelists who spread the belief, the excitement, and the momentum that makes change last.
Ready to energise change in your business?
We work with medium-sized, owner-managed businesses to simplify change and make it stick. If you want practical ways to get your team on board, we can help. Let’s have a chat.