Last week I found myself in the unenviable position of having the ear worm 🐛 “Eastbound and Down” (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 it’s 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.

Let’s examine the lyrics.

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin’

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, you’re just along for the ride.

A-we gonna do what they say can’t be done

You’ll have your sceptics. Don’t tell them what you’re going to do, show them. Show and tells, I’m saying do show and tells.

We’ve 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.

I’m east bound, just watch ol’ “Bandit” run

You’re going to have to give your folks time and space to learn and experiment. Your folks includes you. Run you bandit. đŸƒđŸ»

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 ‘cause we got a run to make

You can’t do your best work unless you’re comfortable. Keep the dress code relaxed, and the atmosphere with it.

The boys are thirsty in Atlanta
And there’s beer in Texarkana
And we’ll bring it back no matter what it takes

Start. With. User. Needs.

Ol’ Smokey’s got them ears on
He’s hot on your trail
And he aint gonna rest ‘til you’re in jail
So you got to dodge ‘im and you got to duck ‘im
You got to keep that diesel truckin’
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, it’s getting a bit thin here, but I really feel like I’ve 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.