Friday, May 4, 2012

Peeing on Bushes...and Ultrarunning

One thing I don't miss about working life--especially, associated as I was with the military--is how people in authority feel compelled to change things even if the old way was tried and true and worked.

I call it the Peeing on Bushes syndrome.  The new boss has to mark her/his territory, much like critters do.  Or at least they think they must do that to demonstrate...leadership?  Power?  Wisdom?  Or something.

The reason I'm thinking about this is that the bride will shortly be dealing with a new regime in power at her job.  The new top dog is (in)famous for her management style in meetings:
"No, no, nothing's decided, just want to get your thoughts and inputs on xxxxx"... when in reality it's been a done deal for weeks.  That bush has already been peed on, and the illusion of participatory management is especially demoralizing for the workforce.

The nexus to Ultrarunning?  In the backcountry, of course, there is a lot of peeing on bushes.  But it's in the natural sense, not the power play sense.

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