Rigid about rules
They won't sign off a client dinner because the receipt lacks a VAT number, even though the client is about to walk.
Rule out first
Real compliance requirements. A job that rewards precision. A past breach that cost them personally.
What could explain it
Conscientiousness: Rules out of duty, but they can see when one doesn't fit and will bend it with a reason on record.
Obsessive-compulsive personality (OCPD): The rule matters more than the result; they'll lose the client to keep the process clean, and feel right about it.
Authoritarian personality: Rules come from authority and should be enforced, harder on outsiders and juniors than on the powerful.
Autism in adults: Rules give predictability; an exception is distressing rather than morally wrong, and a clear reason in advance makes it easier.
Need for cognitive closure: Ambiguity itself is the discomfort; the rule ends the uncertainty, and any clear rule would do.
Escape from freedom (Fromm): The rules are a relief rather than a value: they ask to be told exactly what to do, defer to a strong leader or system, and get anxious when handed open-ended autonomy.
A next move
Propose a reasonable exception and explain it. Agreement means conscientiousness; distress that eases with structure means autism or need for closure; moral outrage means authoritarianism; a lecture on process means OCPD.
If it’s you
Am I following this rule because it matters, or because not knowing feels unbearable?