Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job

Chapter 8. Stubbornness

About Stubbornness

"You can't use this conference logo," he says, grimacing at your materials. "You should use the logo from last year."

"But last year you said never to use that logo again," you venture. "Is there a particular reason why we're using last year's logo again?"

"I decided I want to use last year's logo. It worked fine."

You move on to your next agenda item. "We can run an ad on that online small business site. It's very affordable."

"No, I don't think so," he says.

"But that's a top site for our target customer."

"No," he repeats, cutting you off. "We can't do that. You're giving the Internet too much weight. The answer is no." And so it continues with every one of your ideas, until you end up with a campaign exactly like last year's.

But Why?

A stubborn TOT treats change as if it has cooties—unless she initiates the change. Her bull-headed approach makes it nearly impossible for you to do your job well because you encounter resistance at every turn. When you try to improve things or get creative, the TOT toughens, and opts for the familiar rut. If you prove her wrong, she looks for a way to prove herself right and, of course, to have the last word.

She justifies her immobility in many ways. A favorite is to blame the bureaucracy. She says, "We can't try this new idea ... upper management won't approve." Then she tells you that she's protecting you from ...