Dan, Hyper-Active Man: Turf Fighting Man, Part 2

[This goes back to yesterday...]

But Dan began to enjoy the Turf Wars.

Defense wasn't enough: after the first year with a real budget, it's success proving Dan's point that his department had Worth to the company. Dan began to grow ambitious.

His department should be bigger.

And the way to bigger was Acquisition.

As with any organization, especially one of a certain size bigger than a job shop and smaller than a conglomerate, there are "stray" departments. These departments grew up out of a need --- for Facilities; for Maintenance; for the odd-'n-end Administrative job; and the occasional mini-department that was created for the Co-Partner's son 15 years ago, before that son went off to join a competitor company in Topeka. Most of these stray departments were leaderless - "leaderless" in the grand scheme of things that sees the need for something more than a competent staff with a strong Lead who knows what needs to be done and does it. No Supervisors, Managers or Directors.

Well, Dan argued persuasively, the flip side to that arrangement is that "things fall through the cracks" a lot of times. Oh, and they did. No denying that. There was also no denying that - without a better-organized central management - things fell through the cracks all over the place. But, still, Dan had made his point on the micro-management level and in one weak moment of budget review convinced the bean-counters to assign three of the strays to his department's budget responsibility.

Dan's department doubled in size.

And doubled in power. The IT Veep won't give network access to an outside field rep? NOW see how the IT Dept operates in half the space it once had - after the Facilities group under Dan's command re-designs the cubicles.

But Acquisition is only one part of Turf Wars. The best Defense is good Offense. Dan's Offense took place in the realm of ideas: an idea for everything. For everybody. In every department.

The problem, since Dan was brought in to "straighten things out" and "shake things up," is that he is actually doing what the company told him to do --- originally. And, because Dan is also the Hyperactive Man, his energy is truly impressive. And and, because Dan the Hyperactive Boss Man is also smart and talented, his ideas are usually on the mark and first-rate.

And abrasive.

And intrusive.

And resented.

Dan is very much like Napoleon right now, winning battles right and left, reforming everything he touches, pushing the company forward. There are fewer and fewer allies every day, though. Every day.