Leadership isn’t about choosing sides—it’s about connecting them.
In leadership, whether in business, government, or community life, the real work is rarely about choosing between good and bad. It’s about navigating the tension between two goods that are both essential, both urgent, and often in conflict.
One of the most defining tensions of our time is the need to build digital infrastructure—the backbone of our modern economy—and the responsibility to pursue sustainability and decarbonization. These priorities aren’t in opposition. They’re essential partners in shaping a future that works. But partnership requires balance, and balance requires leadership.
The New Balancing Act
We are living through the largest buildout of digital infrastructure in human history. Data centers, fiber networks, artificial intelligence (AI) clusters, and cloud ecosystems are the tangible engines powering innovation, commerce, and connection. Every time someone uses a smartphone, streams a movie, or trains an artificial intelligence model, they are tapping into that infrastructure.
But that progress comes with power—literally.
The demand for electricity to support data centers, artificial intelligence, and connected devices is accelerating faster than our energy systems were designed to handle. The need for energy and the need to decarbonize are colliding in real time.
This is where leadership matters. If we allow the conversation to become binary—growth versus green, progress versus preservation—we all lose. The choice isn’t either/or; it must be both/and.
If we slam the brakes on growth, we lose prosperity. If we accelerate without conscience, we lose our future.
This story is part of a paid subscription. Please subscribe for immediate access.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Buddy Rizer is an experienced strategic leader, manager, communicator, and sales professional. In his current role, he leads the agency responsible for encouraging growth and developing relationships with Loudoun’s business community in both the commercial and agricultural-based business sectors. During his tenure, Rizer and his team have attracted more than 50 billion USD in new commercial investment and more than 50 thousand new jobs. Rizer joined Loudoun County in 2007 and helped build “Data Center Alley” into the largest concentration of data centers in the world. He also has extensive international business development experience in China, France, Germany, Russia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea, Ghana, Uruguay, and the United Arab Emirates.
Rizer also serves as Chair of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Northern Virginia Community College, Past-Chair of the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation Board, and Secretary of the Go Virginia Region 7 Council. He is on the Board of Directors for the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Washington Airports Task Force. He is also Chair of the Rivana at Innovation Station Community Development Authority.
