The Manager and the Evangelist

The tech industry calls Business 2.0 enthusiasts/champions "evangelists".  Okay, let's say that a company finds it has an evangelist in its ranks.  What is the management of this company to do?

• They could easily ignore the evangelist and snuff out all energy and innovation, because "there are more important things to do."  Bureaucracies love sabotaging a person's efforts for change.
• Management could let the evangelist "go for it" without clear metrics and objectives.
• Or management could use the evangelist's energy to research the latest innovations and come up with recommendations on how to use Business 2.0 tools to reach company goals.

Managers do not have to be early adapters.  They do, however, need to be aware of existing tools that may better their firm.

Managers who work well with evangelists will be key to firms entering the world of Business.2.0.