03 June 2005

Carol and Our Leaders

One of the greatest gifts The Jenius has received in His life is that of extraordinary people. One of the most special is Carol Baugh, a dear friend and Web entrepreneur developing a business, with her husband Lon, based in Texas.

Carol sent The Jenius the following comments about His recent posts:

"I think people who are blessed with ability DO have a moral responsibility to help others. Everyone sits under trees they didn't plant. In trying to turn around PR, those who help in the effort won't always see ANY fruit of their labors. But that doesn't mean the fruit won't be there growing on those trees in the future. I think you have to take a long-term view, which is what y'all are trying to do with Open Source Minds.

Everyone involved won't always make the altruistic decisions, yet over time, you are trying to find a path that benefits your local society as a whole. When you build a new road, it isn't usually straight. But when it's completed, it does allow people to travel more easily where they couldn't before."


And yes, Carol wrote "y'all." She's from Louisiana, or as The Jenius prefers to call it (when very far from Carol) "East Texas."

By self-definition, We in the Internet Industry are people of special ability. However, it is obvious that not all of Us are blessed with the perspective of leadership. Those that are take actions befitting a leader's role: We develop, educate, inform, support, guide, nurture, examine, analyze, communicate and act to create a better industry whether We benefit directly or not. The key point is "whether We benefit drectly or not." Up until that point, the group was large; from that point on most of the mass dropped off the radar.

Is Carol one of Our Leaders? Without a doubt. Even from Texas, she is doing her part to help Puerto Rico take the steps needed to achieve its potential as a global economic player. After reading the definition above, you will know if you belong in the group of Our Leaders or not. What you do after that will go far in determining Our Future.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

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