The Shooter Syndrome: Why Clinging to Control is Killing Your Digital Transformation
If you've ever seen Happy Gilmore, you know Shooter McGavin. He's the film's antagonist who's utterly obsessed with winning...and control. He'll do whatever (and say whatever, much of which I can't repeat here) to get ahead. He's the villainous status quo of the professional golfing world. That is, until Happy disrupts the game (in the best and most hilarious way possible).
While Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald make up one of cinema's most iconic comedy rivals, their relationship (and Shooter's behavior) goes a little deeper for us back at the den. Shooter McGavin is a perfect metaphor for what we call "The Shooter Syndrome.”
And it's holding back progress.
Shooter Syndrome and the Illusion of Control
Shooter's character isn't defined by how much he wins but how he plays the game. He abides by an outdated playbook for optics sake and sabotages anyone who threatens his throne.
Basically, he doesn't play nice. Sound familiar?
In our world, The Shooter Syndrome stems from IT leadership holding on desperately to outdated and counterproductive ITSM processes. And, the byproduct is a messy, frustrating affair.
Symptoms of The Shooter Syndrome
1. Outdated IT Playbooks
Organizations are still treating workflows like checklists from 2012, ignoring modern user needs and evolving customer expectations.
2. Resistance to Cross-Team Collaboration
Many orgs still run Sales, Service, and Ops in silos. The result? Missed handoffs, duplicated work, and disjointed customer journeys.
3. Misaligned AI Investments
Too often, companies invest in AI expecting a shortcut. However, without solid platform foundations (such as a clean CMDB), it's all show and no substance.
4. Ego Over Adaptation
Legacy-first leaders resisting automation, modern frameworks, and co-creation. Their platforms are stagnating. Their teams burn out.
5. Collapse Under Pressure
Many enterprises panic when transformation gets messy. Budget slashes. Strategy pivots. Lost momentum.
Simply put, control isn't the same as clarity. And transformation doesn't happen when you're faking the fundamentals.
"With IT transformation, clarity beats control,” says James Divine, SnowFox Solutions VP of Operations, “because when everyone understands the vision, the right actions follow naturally. Control may enforce compliance - in the short term - but clarity empowers alignment, innovation, and lasting change.”
It’s time for a new strategy, and one that actually works.
The Happy Gilmore Approach
At SnowFox, we've never played the ServiceNow game like everyone else.
And that's by design.
We're outcome-obsessed, platform-grounded, and allergic to performative transformation. As a U.S.-based, 100% ServiceNow pure play, we specialize in guiding clients away from dysfunction and into sustainable, scalable delivery.
Our Navigators provide:
Clean platform strategy
Deep cross-functional experience
Human-first collaboration
We've helped companies shift from "why isn't this working?" to "this just works."
And we didn't have to sabotage anyone to get there.
The Gold Jacket of ITSM
Spoiler alert ahead for a movie from 1996...
Shooter doesn’t get the coveted Gold Jacket at the end. He didn’t earn it because he refused to evolve.
So, what are the symbols of mastery in ISTM? In two words: frictionless enterprise.
Unified workflows
A platform that scales
A team empowered to innovate
And, when you have a strategy rooted in ServiceNow and powered by SnowFox, that’s how you win.
Don’t Be A ‘Shooter’
Shooter McGavin clung too tightly to his ego, fought off positive change, and lost it all.
Don't be like Shooter. The IT world needs more Happy Gilmores.
Ready to ditch the illusion of control? Let's talk about transformation (and let's go get that gold jacket together).