22 September 2005

"How?"

How are you going to get out of the way?

No matter how effective or powerful a person, company or institution becomes, there comes a time when he, she or it stops being a force for progress and becomes a wall for stasis.

Verizon: You used the acquisition of a de facto monopoly (the Puerto Rico Telephone Company) to strangle the development of communications services, particularly those related to the Internet. Those lawsuits have dragged on for years, while the "100% digital" framework Puerto Rico was the first to have in the world became a fetid shadow of what it could have been. How are you going to get out of the way?

El Nuevo Día: Built on money rather than journalistic fundamentals, this under-informed, over-sold and ill-met vanity press takes any action it can copy to extend its influence and attempt to protect its revenue base. The Fourth Estate as General Ledger. Journalism in the trunk of a financial vehicle. How are you going to get out of the way?

The Center for the New Economy: Despite gathering a veritable stable of "names," this misnamed group has never been powerful or even influential. Recently the creator of "studies" any high-school graduate could have given the answers to in less than 10 minutes, the "CNE" brings together walls to form barriers. How are you going to get out of the way?

Fomento: The nickname for a hodge-podge mix of "economic development agencies," it is a living example of "too many ditchdiggers spoil the broth": riddled with myopic bean counters and pea-brained paper-pushers when what is needed is vision and execution. Imagine a blind octupus with eight very clumsy arms...and no brain. Try teaching it to type. Welcome to Fomento. How are you going to get out of the way?

Note that the question ignores "when" in favor of "how." To ask "when" is to waste time. To ask "how" is to place the burden of acknowledging their uselessness and their need to act squarely where it belongs. It implies action, the search for progress.

Many, if not all of the entities to whom the question is posed, will deny it applies to them in any way. They may be right, in the sense that maybe the moon is made of cheese. They may be incapable of coming up with a way of removing themselves as obstacles, even if they recognize being one. That would be like asking a rock to tapdance.

So, if they don't see it and they can't get out of the way, then what's the point of asking the question?

The Jenius thinks--hopes--you will see the answer. And start acting on it immediately... because the opportunities are there.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hah! Fomento just got out of the way. They must be reading your blog!