I want to believe that all product people are both ambitious and have high agency. But recently I’ve come to realize that this is not always the case. It pains me to admit that, and my first instinct was that these are not people that I can help. But I’m not quite ready to give up.
Over the years in product management leadership, I’ve learned that ambition and agency are related but distinct. Ambition is the drive for impact, scope, and growth. Agency is the willingness and ability to take ownership, make decisions, and move without waiting for permission. High-performing product cultures cultivate both; when one is missing, impact stalls.
I often see four patterns. High ambition and high agency PMs compound value—they run robust product discovery, shape strategy, and ship meaningful outcomes. High ambition but low agency PMs talk big but stall on execution. High agency but low ambition PMs deliver steadily but rarely move the needle. Low on both signals a deeper mismatch with the product creator mindset.
When I coach for agency, I remove ambiguity and increase ownership. I align the team on clear, outcome-based goals, define decision rights, and increase proximity to customers. I expect PMs to run weekly product discovery—interviews, prototypes, and experiments—so they can act decisively from evidence rather than wait for direction.
When I coach for ambition, I connect work to a compelling mission and measurable business impact. I set expectations for strategic thinking, encourage bigger bets alongside incremental wins, and recognize impact—not just activity. I find that ambition grows when PMs see a direct line from their choices to customer and business outcomes.
A practical routine that works: every week, PMs identify one “agency rep” (a decision they will make without escalation, within agreed guardrails) and one “ambition rep” (a scope-expanding action, like validating a bolder hypothesis or challenging a constraint). These reps build confidence and consistency.
For hiring and development, I look for evidence of both. In interviews, I probe for moments where candidates created momentum from ambiguity (agency) and where they set or raised the bar for impact (ambition). Inside the team, I measure both with simple narratives: how did you reduce uncertainty this week, and how did you expand potential impact? The answers reveal whether we are trending toward a healthier product culture.
If you recognize a gap in yourself or your team, don’t label it as fixed. Treat it as a capability to build. Start small, ship learning weekly, and let those compounding “reps” shift the default from hesitation to action. Ambition focuses our aim; agency pulls the trigger.
I haven’t given up—far from it. With deliberate practice and the right environment, we can nurture product people who dream big and act boldly. That’s the standard I hold for myself, my team, and every product creator committed to meaningful outcomes.
Inspired by this post on SVPG.
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