Smart Guys Poem by Richard Randolph

I get tired of all the smart guys
who focus on sounding reasonable
so that one day they can move up.
And I get tired of all the charts, graphs, and numbers
they put up to prove how smart they are,
and how they like to explain all they've discovered,
even though they know it's all twisted in some way.
And I get tired of being told I'm part of the team,
and they're looking forward to having a dialogue
when it's really all about pushing an agenda,
pleasing someone higher up, and getting ahead.
Instead, I like those who are fed up, even angry,
who know there are things more important than money,
or prestige, and are tired of being manipulated.
They understand that numbers lie and they can prove it,
but they've also learned saying so is unseemly.
And they know that last year's smart guys,
when their ineptitude is revealed at last,
will retire comfortably somewhere far away,
only to have a new batch of smart guys take their places,
with new charts, graphs, and numbers,
and they'll talk enthusiastically about a bold new plan,
and the importance of working together as a team,
and all the dutiful employees will believe it,
because it is easier than not believing,
and because they lack the courage to do anything else,
and so everything will continue just as before.