When names were being thrown around for possible top technology posts in the Obama administration, tech industry titans said the White House needed some "rock stars" who could use their star power to dislodge the federal government from its 1960s era tech and bring it into the 21st century. You know, like Vint Cerf and Jeff Bezos.
The term has made somewhat of a comeback lately. A Washington Post blog called federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra "a different kind of rock star" to describe how he was received in New York City on June 30 when Kundra announced the launch of a Web site that tracks the progress of federal IT projects.
In an article in the June 15 issue of Government Executive, former Social Security Administration CIO Tom Hughes lamented the state of federal IT under the Obama administration saying, "I haven't seen a single rock star hired and that's disappointing."
Nextgov blogger Alan Balutis, a former CIO at the Commerce Department in the Clinton administration and director of the business solutions group at Cisco's global consulting arm, shot back in a recent blog post, saying Hughes' comment was "a veiled insult of Veterans Affairs' new CIO, Roger Baker (who many consider a James Taylor look-a-like)."
In a comment to Balutis' blog, Baker responded: "Thanks Alan, for the James Taylor reference, though I'd rather be known for his singing than his looks. Better than being David Crosby."
Kundra, not to be left out, used the term again on Friday when referring to Baker during an interview with Nextgov. "Fixing IT problems requires 'making sure we've got rock star CIOs in agencies,' such as Baker."
All of which begs the question: What kind of rock star are we talking about? While some may be partial to James Taylor, most people have in mind something a bit harder edged when they refer they need a "rock star." Could it be Bruce Springsteen? Maybe Walter Becker? Steven Tyler? Van Halen? Pete Townshend? Kurt Cobain? Johnny Rotten? Chris Daughtry? Um, Hannah Montana?
If we need IT rock stars to bring about change, then what's the model? Please suggest the rock stars you believe best fit the mold.
COMMENTS
Is there no one in this conversation that has listened to music in the last decade and hence can name someone other then those who only now release "greatest hits" CD's and travel on "remeber me" tours. This is so out-of-date. I'M SHOCKED AND APPALLED! How about "the Captain" from Captain and Tenille (sp?)?
Alan Balutis 07/20/09 11:12 am ET
The last thing we need are 'rock stars' helping us introduce such exciting advancements as facebook or twitter to Federal computing. Let Congress twitter-fritter away the day.
georgetown 07/20/09 10:02 am ET
This is a great example of how a mediocre sound bite, gets made into a blog entry, then totally loses focus and flops.
If the underlying theme is the need for CIOs who are high profile and will shake up the Federal IT status quo ... then stick with that idea, develop it, comment on it, maybe even get expert opinion on it. Heck, even predict that idea's failure, based on the entropy of the government's regulatory compliance systems.
But please, let's eliminate the juvenile comparisons of current and potential CIOs to actual rock stars. It is not newsworthy, it is not profound, and it stimulates no thought.
Mr. Holmes, on today's journalism pop quiz, you scored a zero. Better luck tomorrow; but remember that too many failures will effect your semester average ... and may result in marks being placed on your permanent record!
James Byrom 07/20/09 08:29 am ET
How about Bonn Scott, since the government needs Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap? (Or Angus Young, although he might not make it with the whole dress code thing. . . . )
Carol Dunford 07/20/09 08:00 am ET
I think you've gotta go with Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, or Roger Daltry (so clearly I'm a vocalist, not a guitar player). Big time front men that changed rock and roll, not just their band. And besides, they all still have GREAT hair.
Of course, I'm not sure I like the other part of that comparison, which is that they're old, deaf, and their best work was done long ago.
Roger Baker 07/17/09 05:56 pm ET