The I.T. Leadership Blues

Terry Gray
09 Mar 2008

Dedicated to the "Boys from Boston", Brian and Jim

Back in January 2008, a month before my first ITLP experience, I happened to think of a Tom Lehrer bit from That Was The Year That Was. In introducing "So Long, Mom", Lehrer talks about our nostalgia for songs from previous wars, and says: "I feel that if any songs are going to come out of World War III we'd better start writing them now. I have one here."

In that spirit, and remembering Brian's "Take No Prisoners" reputation, I decided that if there were to be any songs coming out of ITLP, then "we'd better start writing them now." A modest example follows. (Oh, and in the second verse, it would be perfectly approprate to substitute "Sandy" for "Somebody"...) 


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I.T. LEADERSHIP BLUES
T. E. Gray  1/27/08  rev 3/9/08c  (E-A-Bm 12-bar blues)
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Well, I'm walkin'... in those LEADERSHIP SHOES
Just kickin' down that road... 'til I blow a fuse

Got those head-down, can't cry
   --no time to even try-- LEADERSHIP BLUES
So stop the presses, here's the truth:
  I need to find some new... LEADERSHIP SHOES
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Yes, I'm knockin'... on that LEADERSHIP door
Don't know why... I keep comin' back for more

My baby sez I work too much; my boss sez get a clue
I've got my 20 years in, but still I'm payin' dues
Somebody better tell me where to find a good brew... 
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'cause | I'm talkin'... 'bout those LEADERSHIP BLUES
Just goin' 'round in circles... wonderin' what to do

All those petabytes and teraflops are really kewl
But complexity is growin' like Georgia kudzu
And Amazon & Google are stealin' our crews... 
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that's why | We're talkin'... 'bout those LEADERSHIP BLUES
Still searchin'... for all those management jewels

We got ITIL, Six-Sigma, Balanced Scorecard too
Now everybody thinks it's a Dilbert-like zoo
Gotta work all night to finish those reviews... 
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That's why | We're talkin'... 'bout some different rules
Nobody wants to... play the management fool

We got a new name, new aims, but staff are still confused
The Provost wonders where all that money gets used
But the boys from Boston tell us that we really can't lose... 
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While | We're walkin'... down that LEADERSHIP ROAD
Yes, we're changin'... that old management code

Collaborate, participate, and share the load
Can't do it alone, or our heads will explode
Everybody knows it's time to find the next mode
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So let's | Start talkin'... about a whole new view
Gonna see things... in a brighter hue

So stop the presses, here's the news:
  We'll find a way to lose those... LEADERSHIP BLUES
Yeah, those head-down, can't cry
   --no time to even try-- ... LEADERSHIP BLUES
So, we better get movin' and find some 
   brand-new... LEADERSHIP SHOES
Yes, we better get movin' and find 
   some brand-new...        ... LEADERSHIP SHOES
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