Just Stubborn Enough

“Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal. “
– Friedrich Nietzsche

My buddy Srinivas and I run BlogcastFM – the premier site for blogger interviews, and one heck of a resource.

Looking back now, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come – and how BlogcastFM might have never been started, and certainly wouldn’t have the success it has had, if it wasn’t for one of us stepping up, and being just stubborn enough for us to succeed.

Checks and Balances in BlogcastFM

Ever since the beginning, there’s been a clear difference between how Srinivas and I operate – he throws out lots of ideas, is ever the optimist, and I often try to look at things “realistically” (though, that’s often pessimistically!). I play devil’s advocate a lot – I bring up shortcomings in the plans, I point out where we need to refine ideas, and where we need to toss everything out and go back to the drawing board.

And to his credit, Srinivas takes my feedback, thinks about it – and sometimes comes back with a new plan. Often, a better plan, and one that I agree with.

Other times though, he comes back and is convinced he’s still right, and that my read of the situation is too pessimistic and wrong

And you know what?

Srinivas is frequently right. I frequently am wrong.

And that’s why we’re a good team:

Srinivas is Just Stubborn Enough to incorporate useful feedback – and keep pushing forward when he knows I’m wrong.

The Perfect Balance

I think this is a fine line to walk, and it’s not easy to get it right. So far though, on every decision that I’ve argued with him about, and that he’s fought back on – he’s been 100% right. From the promotional ideas he’s had, to the recent site redesign (which looks killer, and was an absolute steal to have done) to people who have agreed to partner up with us and work together.

Make no mistake about it though – there are times that I believe I have been right, and he’s been willing to look at the facts, and arrived at the same conclusions as me.

The other times?

He’s been just stubborn enough to let me know, and BlogcastFM has grown as a result.

Don’t Be Unreasonable, But Don’t Be a Pushover

I think there’s a lesson here for all of us – we need to know when to cut our losses, and certainly we need to know when we’ve made a mistake and correct course.

On the other hand though, we can’t let ourselves give up a little too easily, get deflated when someone shoots down our ideas or completely back off and be unwilling to stand up for what we believe in at the first sign of resistance.

So I encourage you to take a lesson from my buddy Srinivas from The Skool of Life and my co-founder at BlogcastFM – don’t be unreasonable, and don’t be a pushover.

Be just stubborn enough.

And if you like that, you’ll love Blogger Gems – it has the best advice from all the interviews at BlogcastFM, condensed in one ebook. It is pretty amazing. Check it out here: Blogger Gems

Enjoy this article? You should Tweet This and share it with your friends, or feel free to share it however you like using this shortened link: http://j.mp/stubbornenough