---
id: "action-leverage-champions"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ How the Company Gained Buy-In"]
tags: ["change-management", "leadership"]
related: ["concept-technology-ambassadors", "concept-pull-vs-push-adoption", "framework-pernod-ricard-buy-in"]
action: "Identify and convert highly respected, tenured employees into vocal champions for the new technology."
outcome: "Creates a 'pull' dynamic where employees want the tool because their respected peers are using it."
sources: ["adoption"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-adoption"
originDay: 9
articleStem: "hbr-edu-41-french-spirits-employee-buy-in"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/12/how-a-french-spirits-company-created-employee-buy-in-for-ai"
sourceTitle: "How a French Spirits Company Created Employee Buy-In for AI"
---
# Recruit Respected Veterans as Technology Ambassadors

**Action:** Identify and convert highly respected, tenured employees into vocal champions for the new technology.

Identify the informal leaders in your organization — the people who have been around a long time and have excellent reputations among their peers. Focus your initial training and persuasion efforts on getting these specific individuals to embrace the new tools, as their adoption will trigger peer adoption (see [[concept-technology-ambassadors]]).

**Outcome:** Creates a [[concept-pull-vs-push-adoption]] dynamic where employees want the tool because their respected peers are using it — pillar 4 of [[framework-pernod-ricard-buy-in]].


## Related across articles
- [[action-peer-activators]]
- [[concept-technology-ambassadors]]