“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time” - Maya Angelou.

You must be able to read people. If they show indicators that they are a bureaucrat, never build a plan that requires them to be innovative, or even just flexible. Listen to your intuition. If that means you must walk away from an opportunity, then do so. Don’t toil endlessly “hoping” they will see the light. There are other opportunities that deserve your attention and time. Remember, prescriptive paths lead to bogs in the bureaucratic swamp.