The ambitious type

She's an ambitious, self-driven engineer with an appetite for high risk, in an organization that values stability and predictability. How do you find a win-win setup here? Let’s look at both sides.

You, the leader of this engineer – what should you do?

First, recognize that you have someone capable of more than what you’ve asked. Are there ideas you’ve considered but haven’t had the time to pursue – ambiguous, forward-looking bets? She’s looking for leadership scope, and this might be an opportunity for both of you.

Assign her a small exploratory task as a test. If she delivers, with some coaching provided, it’s a signal to entrust more. If you don’t have bandwidth, delegate a trusted lieutenant. Make a warm introduction, set expectations on both sides, and stay in the loop.

You, the coach of this engineer – what can you tell her?

Organizations value stability for good reasons. Fighting that is futile. But there’s always a corner of the roadmap that’s ambiguous – a risky threat, or an untapped possibility. That’s her arena. Encourage her to speak with her leader (possibly a skip-manager) directly to say something like:

I understand the current roadmap and I’m committed to it. At the same time, I have energy and drive to take on something harder. I’d love to know what uncertain but important opportunities you’re considering for next year – the ones that are still fuzzy. I’d like to explore one of them early, under your guidance.

This turns restlessness into value, ambition into ownership. It creates new leaders, a rare find.