Guide to the TechWeb Network






 




Actors, generals, lawyers, athletes, even business tycoons have joined the ranks of political life
By Art Gillis
Mar 10, 2006 at 09:16 AM ET

By Art Gillis

......But it is quite rare for a professional IT executive to cross the line into the arena of diplomatic service or politically correct behavior. And there’s a very good reason for that. The worst thing any serious and responsible IT person can do is sugar coat the truth about any tech-based solution, and that’s why the typical IT guy couldn’t make it in politics. Even the most successful and financially powerful IT entrepreneurs would never make it in the world of politics. For example, imagine Bill Gates running for governor of Washington. Or Larry Ellison trying to unseat Barbara Boxer or Dianne Feinstein. Or Steve Jobs as mayor of Cupertino.

There is no such thing as an all-good-news tech solution, and that’s OK if the keepers of the purse strings and the managers of human resources know the whole story up front, especially the bad news. Imagine how far a politician would get if he told the bad news first. Wouldn’t you rather have heard this statement instead of the slam dunk one? “We’re not 100% sure there are WMDs in Iraq today, but we can’t risk the loss of American lives by waiting to find out. So we have to take a bold initiative for the safety and security of our people.”

To set the record straight, folks, we do have a U.S. senator from New Jersey who came from the IT world. Frank Lautenberg was the former CEO of the largest payroll processor in the world, ADP.



Topics: BS&T Contributors
»  Weblog Main   |   »  View Entries By Topic   |   »  View Entries By Date



COMMENTS




This is a public forum. CMP Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. CMP Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.

Community standards in the message center do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this forum becomes the property of CMP Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in CMP Media's Terms of Service.

Important Note: The Message Center is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.






















techweb
Online Communities TechWebInformationWeekLight ReadingIntelligent EnterprisebMightyNetwork ComputingDark ReadingDigital LibraryWall Street & Technology
Byte & SwitchNo JitterInternet EvolutionLight Reading's Cable Digital NewsContentinopleUnStrungBank Systems & TechnologyAdvanced TradingInsurance & Technology
Face-to-Face Events
InteropWeb 2.0 ExpoWeb 2.0 SummitVoiceConBlack HatCSISoftwareEntrprise 2.0 ConferenceGTEC
Mobile Business Expo
InformationWeek 500 ConferenceBuy Side Trading XchangeBuy Side Trading SummitBank Executive SummitInsurance Executive SummitTelcoTVEthernet ExpoOptical Expo
Magazines  
InformationWeekWall Street & TechnologyInsurance & TechnologyBank Systems & TechnologyAdvanced TradingMSDNTechNetSmart EnterpriseThe Architecture JournalDatabase Magazine
 
Research & Analyst Services  
Heavy ReadingInformationWeek ReportsInformationWeek Analytics
 
   
   
Ed Cals  |  Contact Us  |  Reprints  |  Ad Info  |  Media Kit  |  Send Us Your Feedback  |  RSS