Leadership Tip

How to recognise when you're being too stubborn

Being stubborn isn’t always a bad thing. But if you’re standing your ground for the wrong reasons (like if you hate to be wrong), you’ll do more damage than good. Since it’s hard to recognise stubbornness in yourself, look out for these signs that you’re being inflexible:

  1. You keep at an idea or plan, or insist on making your point, even when you know you’re wrong.
  2. You do what you want to do even if no one else wants you to do it.
  3. When others present an idea, you tend to point out all the reasons it won’t work.
  4. You visibly feel anger, frustration, and impatience when others try to persuade you of something you don’t agree with.
  5. You commit halfheartedly to others’ requests because you know you’re going to do something entirely different.

The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our acclaimed 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme and adapted from Signs That You’re Being Too Stubborn by Muriel Maignan Wilkins. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.


For more tips...
on leadership and management good practice, subscribe to a Minute with Montgomery on 10TV.

Subscribe

Free weekly email on things you didn't know last week with links to articles on leadership excellence. To view previous editions click here.


Unlock your potential

Whether face to face, or over the telephone, we can develop your leadership skills, support you in making important decisions, and help you reach your potential.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 actions for effective communication

High-quality communication is an essential element in business and organisational performance. Effective communication relies on engaging with people, having a commitment to building strong and productive relationships and realising that we communicate... read more

10 actions for advancing your career

Standing out at work isn’t about wearing a flashy hat - though, that could help. The more effective way to make an impact is by developing the skills that will get you noticed. Here are 10 strategies for advancing your career: Make skills... read more

10 actions for achieving best performance

Success does not begin with radically changing the way you work or acquiring new skills: the first step is to take what you already do to the highest level.  However trivial it may seem, if you can do a task more smartly than you did before, and... read more

Leadership Tips

How to improve interpersonal conflicts

In today’s fast-paced and often high-pressure work environments, the ability to navigate interpersonal relationships is more critical than ever. Even the most capable teams experience conflict - it’s a natural byproduct of collaboration, diversity of... read more

How to build value through visionary leadership

Real Madrid has reclaimed its position as Europe’s most valuable football club, with a 23% year-on-year increase in enterprise value, reaching €6.3 billion as of January 2025, according to Football Benchmark. Real Madrid’s financial and sporting... read more

How to make the most of your downtime

Rest isn’t a luxury - it’s a leadership skill. Stepping back isn’t about doing less; it’s about restoring the energy and clarity to lead well.  This holiday, give yourself permission to pause. Leadership starts with how well you lead yourself,... read more