The product champion is the zealot or fanatic in the ranks whom we have described as being not a typical administrative type. On the contrary, he is apt to be a loner, egotistical and cranky. But he believes in the specific product he has in mind. The successful executive champion is invariably an ex-product champion. He’s been there — been through the lengthy process of husbanding, seen what it takes to shield a potential practical new idea from the organization’s formal tendency toward negation. The godfather is typically an aging leader who provides the role model for championing. The
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