Concentric Circles of Evangelism

Spread your vision from core team to stakeholders to leadership in expanding rings

Ebi Atawodi
Crafting a compelling product vision | Ebi Atawodi (YouTube, Netflix, Uber)

Concentric Circles of Evangelism

"In terms of evangelizing, I think about three concentric circles. The core of your vision is your team. They have to be bought in and have conviction that they want to get there to actually sail on that boat together." - Ebi Atawodi

What It Is

A structured approach to communicating and building buy-in for your product vision. Rather than broadcasting widely all at once, this framework moves outward in rings - starting with the people who will build it, expanding to those who need it to succeed, and finally reaching leadership who can amplify it.

The approach recognizes that different audiences need different depths of engagement, and that early rings help refine the message for later ones.

How It Works

Circle 1: Core Team

Who: The people who will actually build the thing - PMs, engineers, designers, researchers, and data scientists on your immediate team.

Why First: They're getting on the boat with you. If they don't believe in the destination, they won't sail.

How to Engage:

  • Present to the full team multiple times (it needs to percolate)
  • Write the output of workshops and share broadly
  • Make documents commentable (not view-only)
  • Allow questions and stress-testing
  • Use team meetings to revisit and reinforce

Success Metric: "If I go around and ask my minus-ones what are the top five problems, they should all have the same answer."

Circle 2: Stakeholders

Who: Adjacent teams, marketing, operations, support, legal, finance - anyone who either contributes to or is affected by your work.

Why Second: They need to be bought in for success. They'll either help or hinder your progress based on understanding.

How to Engage:

  • Share the consolidated insights they contributed to
  • Show how their input shaped the final vision
  • Explain what you're NOT doing (so they can adjust expectations)
  • Address their specific concerns and questions

The Buy-In Advantage: If you involved stakeholders in the empathize phase (gathering their "10 Things"), evangelism becomes much easier. "Humans love to know you heard them."

Circle 3: Leadership

Who: Executives, senior leaders, potentially the whole company via all-hands.

Why Last: Leadership can amplify your vision across the organization, but they need a polished, validated message.

How to Engage:

  • Go as high as possible - let leaders pull you back if needed
  • Use the refined message that's been stress-tested
  • Present with confidence (your team and stakeholders already believe)
  • Ask for specific support or resources

The L4 Example: Ebi, as a non-senior PM at Uber, presented "one wallet, all Uber experiences" vision at an all-hands. Her leader put her on stage. Go big.

How to Apply It

Phase 1: Core Team Rollout (Week 1-2)

  1. Present to leadership team first (PMs, EMs, design leads)
  2. Each leader presents to their reports
  3. Share written documentation for async review
  4. Hold Q&A sessions
  5. Allow comments and incorporate feedback

Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement (Week 3-4)

  1. Share with teams that contributed to insights
  2. Present at stakeholder team meetings
  3. Document FAQs and common objections
  4. Refine messaging based on feedback

Phase 3: Leadership Amplification (Week 4+)

  1. Prepare executive summary
  2. Present to leadership (as high as you can go)
  3. Request all-hands or broader communication opportunities
  4. Create recruiting and onboarding materials using the vision

Tips for Each Circle

Core Team:

  • "Put rocks in a washing machine, they polish each other" - embrace the friction
  • Present multiple times - ideas need to percolate like a tea bag
  • Don't seek 100% certainty, just commitment to the journey

Stakeholders:

  • Reference their contributions explicitly
  • Address "but what about..." concerns proactively
  • Be clear about what's changing for them

Leadership:

  • Lead with impact and opportunity
  • Show team and stakeholder alignment
  • Ask for what you need

When to Use It

  • After creating a new multi-year vision
  • When launching a major strategic initiative
  • During annual planning to align the organization
  • When joining a new company/team and establishing direction
  • When a significant pivot requires re-alignment

The Ripple Effect

Done well, evangelism creates ripples beyond the three circles:

  • Recruiting: Candidates hear the vision and their "eyes twinkle"
  • Job descriptions: Teams include the vision to attract talent
  • External communication: The vision shows up in press, talks, podcasts
  • Other teams: Adjacent groups reference your vision in their planning

Source

  • Guest: Ebi Atawodi
  • Episode: "Crafting a compelling product vision | Ebi Atawodi (YouTube, Netflix, Uber)"
  • Key Discussion: (00:44:20) - Three concentric circles of evangelism
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

  • Empathize-Create-Evangelize - This is the third phase
  • Four Elements of Vision - What you're evangelizing
  • Communication is the Job - Why evangelism matters
  • Concentric Circles Audience Model - Similar structural approach for different context
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