[notyourday]

CEO: We are doing project X. We have engaged so and so to do it. You are to support this.

<multiple layers down, Jack, head of IT in charge of backups>: I'm uncomfortable sharing this information with the outside party. I will need to get the approvals for <blah blah blah blah>

...

CEO: Yes, tell them to do this.

...

Jack, head of IT in charge of backups: Ok, you can have this access.

Consultant: Great. <comes back ten minutes later> It says I'm not authorized to perform this operation. It is a blocker, could this be fixed so I could continue?

Jack: This was not in the scope of authorization that I have received. I'm uncomfortable providing this level of access without additional authorization.

<repeat>

[wiz21c]

Damn that's so true. We hired a network expert to figure latency somewhere between our app and the end user. Spent a month asking autorisations for each gdmn net boxes which were owned by several organizations which were working in the same building but not able to cooperate because they were not paid by the same institution.

The guy did very creative reporting though :-)

And the problem was not fixed, of course.

I tried to help him as much as I could, but at some point, the thing is so intricate that you basically give up.

[digi59404]

This happens, and honestly it happens rarely.

When you’re in this role your goal and job is to build relationships and help people. That includes Jack. The job is getting done with or without Jacks help. So he can either jump onboard or he can be removed and someone else can be added to give access.

In the end people like Jack benefit nothing from being gatekeepers. Because the third time I have to ask for permissions to be changed - I’m asking for Jack to be removed from the task and someone else to be put in place.

[notyourday]

That's not correct.

When you are in a firefighting role, your job is to fix the fire, not appease Jack and build relationship with him, the person whose practices created the situation to begin with. Unfortunately, even in those cases the highest level of stakeholder who engaged your firefighting service may not be willing to tell Jack's manager or Jack that he will do what he is told or he will be removed.

Jack's gatekeeping is what keeps Jack employed. The company's ultimate bosses will need to make decision if they want to remove Jack and solve a problem or if they do not care that much that the problem is quickly solved. In the vast majority of cases no one in the company who can fire Jack wants to be seen as a bad guy.

[beckingz]

Oh.