Faced with an onslaught of high-profile political wrangles, fast-evolving technologies, global conflicts and increasing costs, today’s business leaders have plenty to feel nervous about. But lurking inside even the most seemingly capable individuals and modern ‘dynamic’ teams is a silent killer of progress: stubbornness.
Anyone guilty of stubbornness will typically see the trait as persistence or diligence. What is persistent in their view, however, is merely seen as pig-headed by others. Are they really taking extra caution and being risk-averse, or are they just outright resistant? Iron-willed, or uncooperative?
A survey of British employees conducted by my team at Right Management revealed some stark truths on this matter. A concerning one in three British workers (31%) say they are uncomfortable with change and prefer familiar routines. A similar proportion (30%) also admit they would feel uneasy if their roles or responsibilities were altered.
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This isn’t so bad, you might think. After all, unease could be a symptom of caution, which is advisable in times of uncertainty. Yet it could also be seen as these employees having little appetite to push the envelope: fixed-thinking at a time when learning, resilience and adaptability are fundamental to growth and success.
At best, these employees are being cautious. Realistically though, there is such a strong need for adaptability in our jobs that those who resist experimentation and learning will end up being seen as difficult, contrary, and inflexible. They’re likely to resist feedback, avoid challenges, and shy away from growth opportunities. Sound familiar?
Whether it’s a reluctance to try new technologies or that knee-jerk reaction of ‘we’ve always done it this way’, fixed thinking can be a brutal way to stifle innovation and slow momentum. It poses a significant challenge, especially for values-driven sectors that depend on trust and impact like public services and charities, where purpose is high, but resources are limited.
Five signs to watch out for
Before addressing fixed-thinking, resource-stretched teams and organisations must look out for the following signs:
- Perfectionism: Are colleagues avoiding starting tasks unless they’re sure they can do them perfectly? Perfectionists equate mistakes with failure and see them as a reflection of innate inability rather than a chance to learn.
- Fear of feedback: Do you notice anybody becoming defensive, dismissive, or withdrawn when receiving constructive criticism? It’s likely they perceive feedback as a judgment of worth or intelligence rather than a tool for growth.
- Avoidance of challenges: Are there signs of shying away from unfamiliar tasks or difficult goals, preferring to stay in the comfort zone? It’s easy fall into the trap of believing that struggling is a sign of not being good enough, rather than a normal part of learning.
- Proving, not improving: Who is constantly seeking validation or recognition, maybe by highlighting past achievements and avoiding areas of weakness? Ability is not a static function; it's something to develop rather than preserve.
- Taking failure personally: Is there a culture of interpreting setbacks as a reflection of identity or self-worth instead of a temporary obstacle? This stems from believing that talent or intelligence should guarantee success, and so failure feels like a confirmation of inadequacy.
These five risk factors can supress innovation, stifle collaboration, limit accountability, and discourage diverse perspective. The challenge is, fixed-thinking can hide behind surface-level competence and ultimately limit long-term performance of both individuals and organisation.
Read more: How to create a growth mindset across your organisation
So the big question is, how do you encourage a growth mindset among all team members?
Three steps to growth
Firstly, embrace agility as the new stability. At a recent ManpowerGroup conference, the emphasis was clear: organisations must prepare their people for transformation, not just expect them to endure it. That means investing in readiness, not only through wellbeing initiatives but through upskilling, coaching, and building leadership that supports a culture of feedback and data-driven decisions.
Secondly, be prepared to face failure. In the private sector and sciences especially, failure is often baked into the culture; it is talked about and learned from. In the public and third sectors however, failure can be taboo.
Without permission to fail, people are less likely to take creative risks. And without risk, there is no innovation. Learning to trust data is critical in this context, not as a control mechanism but as a compass for growth.
Thirdly, be curious. Curiosity is proactive, and it should be a characteristic priority for organisations when identifying high-potential individuals, investing in their development, and building transparent career pathways. Career mobility must be deliberate, not incidental.
Data on team performance, again, is crucial. It should be gathered regularly and feed into succession planning – viewed not just as an HR exercise but as a leadership imperative.
The good news is that the fixed vs growth mindset debate is not a binary issue. Research by journalist and broadcaster Matthew Syed highlights that individuals can sit on different sides of a mindset spectrum across nine dimensions; someone may be curious yet unreceptive to feedback for example. This nuance matters.
Encouraging a growth mindset is about embedding change at the individual level. To do so requires addressing the culture of an organisation from how we communicate with colleagues, to how we lead, to how we make decisions.
Change is possible, especially for the one-in-three British employees who show those signs of having a fixed mindset. But only if we prepare for it by driving a culture of continuous learning, adaptability, and curiosity.
Lorraine Mills, principal consultant, Right Management
