Bandits of Digital Transformation
Last week I found myself in the unenviable position of having the ear worm đ âEastbound and Downâ (The Smokey and the Bandit theme) by Jerry Reed.
Not an entirely unpleasant experience, but after a week, it was losing its lustre.
Then I thought, sometimes itâs best to just play the whole song to give your brain some closure. So I listened to it.
Then I listened again, closely this time.
There it was, it had been stuck in my head for a reason. Jerry was telling me what I needed to hear.
I think Jerry was telling me about the digital transformation journey.
Letâs examine the lyrics.
East bound and down, loaded up and truckinâ
Here, Jerry reminds us that no matter how far along you are in your digital transformation journey, you need to acknowledge that the organisation has business objectives to achieve first and foremost, that they set the direction, and in some ways, youâre just along for the ride.
A-we gonna do what they say canât be done
Youâll have your sceptics. Donât tell them what youâre going to do, show them. Show and tells, Iâm saying do show and tells.
Weâve got a long way to go, and a short time to get there
Jerry reminds us of the old adage; if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you need to go far, go together.
But he also understands that both approaches have their merits, and knowing when you should use either is just as important as understanding the distinction between them.
Iâm east bound, just watch olâ âBanditâ run
Youâre going to have to give your folks time and space to learn and experiment. Your folks includes you. Run you bandit. đđ»
Keep your foot hard on the pedal
Son, never mind them brakes
Burnout is a very real danger. Take a day off.
Let it all hang out âcause we got a run to make
You canât do your best work unless youâre comfortable. Keep the dress code relaxed, and the atmosphere with it.
The boys are thirsty in Atlanta
And thereâs beer in Texarkana
And weâll bring it back no matter what it takes
Start. With. User. Needs.
Olâ Smokeyâs got them ears on
Heâs hot on your trail
And he aint gonna rest âtil youâre in jail
So you got to dodge âim and you got to duck âim
You got to keep that diesel truckinâ
Just put that hammer down and give it hell
You need political cover to stay ahead of the traditional Civil Service.
But you also need moves. Those moves generate delivery, and really keep the digital transformation convoy rolling.
Okay, itâs getting a bit thin here, but I really feel like Iâve got it out of my system at least.
Thanks kindly to Dan, who kicked the tyres on this silly idea and contributed a couple of real zingers.