Problem solving demands creativity — moving boundaries to open our eyes to better options.

Many times, we believe the best solution is obvious — a straight-line continuation of past success. We know the actions to take, the challenges to overcome, and we focus on powering through obstacles we’ve beaten before. That mindset feels safe, efficient, and responsible.

It is also limiting, because it assumes the future must look like the past.

Last month the North Texas Food Pantry lost a valuable resource when another driver collided with the van used to transport food from partners at the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank and Sam’s Club to their facility on Tyler Street, where volunteers sort, stage, and prepare food for delivery to roughly 2,000 people each month.

Through grants and donations, some funds were available for a replacement vehicle. After weeks of waiting, the other driver’s insurance company finalized payment for totaling the pantry’s van.

The obstacles to this new vehicle solution multiplied quickly. There was a strong desire to “trade up” to a box truck, which increased the required funding. There was also concern about where to safely store a new vehicle, informed by past incidents of break-ins and vandalism as the old van sat in the parking lot when not in use.

As the projected investment grew, the board became cautious. Committing most of the available funds to a vehicle would leave little margin for repairs, emergencies, or surprises that inevitably appear in nonprofit operations.

In the meantime, temporary arrangements were made with the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank to deliver food directly to the North Texas Food Pantry.

The absence of the pantry owned vehicle felt risky at first, but the system worked. Recognizing nothing is permanent this solution works for the time being.

Volunteers adjusted. Processes shifted. Clients continued receiving food. What began as a stopgap slowly became part of the normal workflow.

This raised an uncomfortable question. Was the purchase of another vehicle truly the only path forward? The WFAFB already provides regular deliveries to many of its ninety partner agencies.

Instead of draining contingency funds to purchase a new vehicle, the pantry can use funds once earmarked for fuel, maintenance, insurance, and storage of a pantry owned vehicle leveraging the partnership with WFAFB — but without the added stress of protecting an unattended pantry vehicle.

During my most recent volunteer shift, the results were clear. While food options narrowed slightly, the mission remained intact.

Food arrives on the days of client deliveries. Volunteers sort and prepare deliveries during the two hours before client service on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings. From 9-11 a.m., families pick up food to extend what they have for the coming month. Life continues.

Creativity in problem solving is not about reckless risk.

It is about questioning assumptions before committing scarce resources. Sometimes the best move is not advancing harder down a familiar road but stepping off it.

For leaders, especially in mission-driven organizations, this experience offers a quiet lesson. Constraints can sharpen thinking rather than suffocate it.

When pride, habit, or precedent define the solution too early, innovation rarely survives. By slowing decisions, inviting partners into the problem, and honoring the core mission above ownership or optics, organizations often discover options hiding in plain sight.

In closing, I also note that in the face of rising fuel costs, more families are using the resources of food pantries in our area as well as across the nation.

If you can help with your time, talent or treasure others will appreciate you.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

Have others disappointed you in their situational ethics?

Imagine you are U.S. President Ronald Reagan negotiating reductions in nuclear weapons with another head of state whose thinking and values differ dramatically in the 1980s. Reagan found himself in this position as the Cold War pitted Western capitalistic ethics and values against the socialistic communist culture of the USSR which dissolved in 1991.

One expert briefing Reagan, scholar Suzanne Massie, advised him that Russians like to talk in proverbs, teaching him the phrase “doveryai, no proveryai,” meaning trust but verify.

Reagan often repeated the phrase publicly to emphasize the extensive verification procedures that would allow both sides to monitor compliance during the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty alongside Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Negotiations often force us to balance progress with principle. We want closure and momentum, yet every compromise tests our boundaries. Situational ethics creep in when convenience overrides discipline.

Last summer, while searching for a new tenant for a rental property, I faced two choices. One applicant had the cash deposit. Another had great credit but would not move in for a month. Hungry for cash flow, I compromised.

By the second month, rent arrived via CashApp. If I wanted same-day access to the funds, a fee applied. Grumbling at more friction just to pay my own bills, I accepted that compromise too.

Two months later, the tenant asked to split rent into twice-monthly payments. You can see the train wreck coming. Last month no rent arrived. When evicted the tenant left furniture, food, clothing, and dishes. I arranged a roll-off, cleared the property, and began preparing for someone new.

The experience reminded me why rules matter — rent is due on the fifth, else late fees accrue, with nonpayment triggering eviction by the fifteenth. Operating this way creates predictability, protects cash flow, and reduces emotional decision-making.

These stories are not rare. In 2000, Enron appeared to be the golden child of energy. Built as a diversified power trader, the company found and exploited a regulatory gap in California. Power generated in state and power imported from outside were governed differently. Enron shifted electricity on paper to out-of-state entities and sold it back at inflated prices.

Margins surged. Wall Street applauded. The innovation was financial, not operational.

When scrutiny arrived, the illusion collapsed. By 2001, Enron followed earlier cautionary tales like Miniscribe, whose executives in 1985 shipped boxes filled with bricks rather than hard disks to fake inventory.

Closer to home, we face similar dilemmas. Do we hand cash to someone on the street hoping it buys food, knowing it may not?

Or do we donate through organizations designed to address root causes? Faith Mission urges the latter, arguing compassion paired with structure leads to better outcomes.

Trust failures also emerge in polished offices.

Many Wichita Falls investors once selected a financial advisor admired for visibility and community involvement — only to discover betrayal as over one-million dollars of client funds disappeared.

Seeing the image of success compromised oversight.

Boards, whether nonprofit or corporate, face the same tension. The pressure to fill leadership roles quickly can shortcut reference checks and validation. I have served on boards where optimism replaced verification, and organizations paid dearly when reality contradicted résumés.

Retail businesses illustrate another lesson. Service quality has become a defense against theft. Secured merchandise and attentive associates walking products to registers reduce shrinkage while improving customer experience.

Verification here is procedural, not personal. However personal service in implementing these processes inspires customers to return.

Nonprofits invite similar diligence. Tools like CharityNavigator and CharityWatch allow donors to confirm impact and stewardship. Trust grows stronger when paired with evidence.

Doveryai, no proveryai. Those three words are neither cynical nor cold. They recognize human fallibility while preserving cooperation.

Verification protects relationships by setting clear expectations and consequences. Verification doesn’t mean abandoning standards.

It means extending opportunity responsibly. Whether negotiating nations, managing property, donating, or hiring, leadership asks us to align goodwill with structure. Trust opens doors. Verification keeps them from slamming.

When both travel together, progress becomes sustainable. Without that balance, disappointment replaces momentum. With it, we protect ourselves while still believing in what others can become.

Consider who you see when someone approaches you for trust. A victim? Or a test of your leadership, your compassion, and your willingness to verify before believing.

Those extra moments of reflection are where character is revealed. Leadership is rarely about grand gestures, but about small decisions repeated consistently.

The discipline to pause, ask, and confirm signals respect for others and for oneself. In the long run, that discipline builds credibility, resilience, and a community worthy of our trust, our resources, and our shared future.

Doveryai, no proveryai.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

Caption: Who do you see? Someone down on their luck or looking for their next gullible victim.

Will you lead?

That question sits quietly under every big decision we make. Leaders show the way to the future — not by predicting it perfectly but by deciding which future they are willing to work toward.

There are many futures possible. Some are expansive and inclusive, creating opportunity for many. Others concentrate gains for a few.

Vision is choice, and leadership begins the moment someone decides which future is worth building.

Some leaders are born with unusual confidence or charisma, but most learn the skills required to shape a vision of a better way, product, or experience and then invite others into that picture.

The core skill is not authority. It is clarity. People follow what they understand and what resonates with their own hopes. When a leader names a destination clearly, momentum begins to form almost on its own.

Storytelling is the bridge between vision and action. Stories translate abstract ideas into something people can feel.

Think about Disney’s entertainment parks drawing millions of visitors year after year. Families return because those parks deliver consistent, safe, joyful experiences that connect generations. Parents remember how they felt as children and want to recreate that memory with their own kids.

That emotional continuity is not accidental. It is the product of a story about family, imagination, and trust that has been reinforced for decades.

Steve Jobs understood this power deeply. When he founded Apple, his vision centered on simplicity.

Technology did not need more features. It needed better experiences. Devices should work so intuitively that they fade into the background of life.

By removing unnecessary decisions, Apple reduced the mental effort required of users and expanded who could confidently use technology. Ease of use became a strategic advantage — not a compromise.

Jobs also demonstrated that leadership does not require inventing everything yourself.

He gathered ideas, explored emerging concepts, and synthesized what he saw into a compelling whole. His visits to Xerox PARC exposed him to the mouse, graphical interfaces, networking, and laser printing.

Apple reimagined those innovations into the Macintosh, introduced in 1984, and changed how people interacted with personal computers. An entire industry pivoted as a result.

That vision showed up in small, human moments. With my 2-year-old toddler tapping icons on a screen without fear or instruction came the proof that complexity had been tamed.

Desktop publishing flourished. Competitors followed with their own graphical systems. A clear vision reshaped expectations for everyone.

Contrast that with another bold vision from automotive executive John DeLorean. After the success of the Pontiac GTO, he imagined an ethical, durable sports car that would look like nothing else on the road.

The DMC-12 featured stainless steel panels, gullwing doors designed for strength, and a rear mounted engine. Built quickly with a lean workforce of 374 people, it reached the market in record time. Then reality intervened. High interest rates, economic recession, and cash constraints overwhelmed the company. Production ended after less than two years.

Yet the DeLorean lives on in cultural memory through “Back to the Future,” where it symbolizes possibility and imagination.

Both Apple and DeLorean reveal the same truth. Vision can inspire extraordinary outcomes, but sustainability determines how long that inspiration can operate in the real world.

Leadership lessons are not confined to global brands. They appear every day in our own communities.

A few letters, like BBQ, can trigger powerful local loyalty when chefs consistently deliver quality and hospitality. Our city leaders are articulating a vision of economic renewal and attracting investment that creates opportunity and growth.

Programs like Café con Leche’s Road to College initiative with WFISD show leadership at a personal scale.

By combining mentoring, academic preparation, service, and responsibility, students are guided toward post-secondary success. Participants are not treated as passive recipients of help, but as emerging leaders expected to support others. The multiplier effect is intentional.

Leadership is practiced through example, empathy, and accountability.

Exposure to role models, practical guidance, and community involvement builds confidence, especially for first generation students. Over time, success is measured not only by individual achievement, but by how many others are lifted along the way.

Leadership rarely announces itself with titles or applause. It shows up in conversations, decisions, and standards people choose to uphold.

Every team, family, classroom, and workplace is shaped by someone setting direction. When clarity replaces noise, trust grows. When behavior matches words, credibility compounds.

The future is not built all at once, but one choice at a time. Those choices send signals about what matters.

Others are always watching, deciding whether this is a vision worth supporting.

That is the quiet power of stepping up before being asked. It is leadership practiced — not declared or deferred until later, someday, or never.

So, dust off your vision of what the future could be. Leadership is an invitation. Step forward and invite others to help make it real.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

Caption: Road to College Mentors lead tutorials at MSU’s West College of Education and Professional Studies for high school students to achieve their academic goals. Leaders making dreams a reality. Photo provided by Café con Leché

Why Are You Here?

People have wrestled with that question for as long as we have history. Philosophers, theologians, leaders, and everyday citizens have all tried to name it, define it, or outgrow it. Most of us circle back eventually.

In a consumer-driven economy, the default answers are easy. Success becomes square footage. Horsepower. Balance sheets. Titles. Upgrades. Likes. Followers. Validation extracted in public and tallied digitally.

But hearses do not have trailer hitches.

And cemeteries do not have influencer sections.

You cannot take it with you. And long after the toys break and the algorithms move on, what remains is impact. Contribution. The lives you shaped. The moments you showed up when it mattered.

If there is a scoreboard that counts, it is measured in people, not possessions.

Wichita Falls understands this, even when we forget it.

Often referred to as “the city that faith built,” this community has quietly sustained a culture of service for generations. As of last October, 1,173 registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operated locally, stewarding more than $3 billion in assets and over a billion dollars in annual income. That is not accidental. That reflects values.

This is an ecosystem of service. And everyone in it eventually plays two roles: giver and getter.

Most of us spend parts of life on both sides.

When things go well, we contribute. When life hits hard, we receive. The healthiest communities are honest about that dynamic and design systems that make both roles dignified.

Nonprofit boards sit at the intersection. They are not honorary titles or résumé padding. Boards are where mission becomes execution. They require people willing to wrestle with messy, unsolvable problems, to set priorities under constraints, to raise resources, and to step in when staff capacity meets real human need.

That work changes lives in specific, repeatable ways. Consider just a dozen or so organizations and their mission impact.

Adult Literacy, for example, does not trade in abstractions. Volunteers teach adults how to read forms, write clearly, and build job-ready skills. One learner at a time. The outcome is simple and profound: people gaining independence, credentials, and the ability to provide for their families.

Big Brothers Big Sisters creates life-changing mentorships by matching children with consistent, caring adults. These “Bigs” do not fix everything. They show up. Over time, one relationship builds confidence, accountability, and healthier decision-making during the years that matter most.

Camp Fire empowers young people through inclusive after-school and summer programs that foster belonging and confidence. Children discover strengths they did not know they had through camps, mentoring, and service. Skills learned here carry forward into classrooms, families, and future careers.

CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, serves children navigating some of the hardest transitions imaginable. Trained volunteers advocate for abused and neglected youth, ensuring one child’s voice is heard in court and their best interests are protected through consistent presence and observation. Stability does not happen by chance. It is defended.

Faith Mission meets immediate needs while restoring dignity and self-worth. They shelter, feed, and counsel men, women, and families experiencing homelessness, guiding individuals from crisis to stability through coordinated daily support. Faith, discipline, and skills build toward sustainable outcomes. Today, a new capital campaign is expanding capacity and renewing facilities to meet rising demand for homeless men.

Leadership Wichita Falls invests upstream. It develops civic leaders by connecting emerging professionals to real community challenges. Participants learn how to collaborate across sectors and return with the capacity to drive measurable improvements where they live and work.

North Texas Food Pantry fights hunger with efficiency and compassion. Volunteers source, pack, and distribute nutritious food so families can make it through another week without choosing between groceries and utilities. Board members work behind the scenes to secure funding and design solutions that scale impact responsibly.

Scouting builds character, leadership, and resilience through experiential learning. Youth master practical skills, serve others, and grow into responsible adults through shared challenges. The relationships formed often extend for decades, as their alumni network continue to serve and inspire the next generation.

Service organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimists, and Lions clubs offer structured entry points into community impact. Members engage as doers, leaders, and champions of causes ranging from youth development to recreation and scholarships. They mobilize volunteers, funding, and attention where it is needed most.

Giving is not instinctive. It is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with use.

When exercised deliberately, it compounds. You may help educate the future doctor who cures cancer. Or support the mentor who keeps a young person out of the justice system. Or strengthen the parent who raises a resilient family.

You do not control the outcomes. You do control whether you contribute.

Help someone navigate their path. Invest your time, judgment, and resources thoughtfully. Do your best work in service of others. Step back.

Then watch what grows.

That may be the best answer any of us gets to the question: Why are you here?

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

Two weeks ago, marked the 50-year anniversary of an understated but world changing moment: April 7, 1969, when the first Request for Comments, RFC 1, titled “Host Software,” was published.

That short technical document described how packets of data would move from one computer to another. From that simple idea came ARPANET — Advanced Research Projects Agency Network — and eventually the Internet.

What made the RFC process remarkable was not just the technology, but the philosophy.

The documents were open. Anyone could read them. Anyone could contribute. There was no paywall, no gatekeeper, no requirement to belong to a certain institution. That openness allowed a distributed network of researchers, engineers, and operators to rapidly improve and expand the system together.

More than 8,500 RFCs later, the Internet has grown into the global platform that powers our economy and daily lives.

Work, commerce, communication, learning, and entertainment now ride on infrastructure most of us never think about. We carry supercomputers in our pockets and expect instant access to nearly everything.

Back in 1970, Wichita Falls had a population of 96,265, making it roughly the 10th to 12th largest city in Texas at the time. Today, with about 102,400 residents, the city ranks around 42nd. For decades, many communities like ours watched growth and investment gravitate elsewhere.

That chapter is closing.

By 2030, Wichita Falls will look very different as large-scale internet infrastructure arrives in force.

Planned data centers and a 5,500-acre solar farm project from TotalEnergies Renewables USA in Wichita County are no longer abstract ideas. They are real, permitted, and underway.

The solar project alone will deploy roughly 1.56 million panels with an estimated investment of $830 million. County commissioners recently approved a $1.25 million annual payment in lieu of taxes agreement tied to that development.

On the data center side, the scale is significant. Construction on the first of several projects, the Skybox Power Campus, is expected to begin this year. During peak construction, between 3,500 and 5,000 workers could be on site, building up to ten 150,000 square foot facilities. Over time, the campus could reach three to four million square feet, with initial operations beginning around 2028.

Additional projects are moving forward across the region.

Kings Ranch Data plans two data centers on 33 acres near Riley Road on the city’s northeast side.

A separate 300-megawatt data center with on-site battery storage and solar received rezoning approval in November off Kiel Lane and City View Drive, potentially hosting up to 2.3 million square feet of space.

Just last week, a Planned Unit Development for another data center project north of Airport Drive received Planning and Zoning approval. That site includes nine two story buildings, each 150,000 square feet, and could employ anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 workers during construction.

This activity is not isolated.

Nearby Wilbarger County already has dirt work underway for a Google data center that will draw power from the TotalEnergies solar farm.

Archer and Young counties are also in discussions related to similar projects and the temporary workforces that accompany them.

With scale comes concern.

At recent Planning and Zoning meetings, city leaders discussed draft ordinances to guide temporary housing for construction workers. The goal is to meet short-term demand while ensuring land is restored when the need passes.

City staff have visited Abilene and other communities to learn both best practices and unintended consequences. The intent is to preserve what residents value while accommodating growth.

Public comments also raised questions about water and electricity.

Developers responded with details that rarely make headlines. Modern data centers use closed-loop cooling systems that require a one-time water charge of roughly 500,000 gallons. That is about the equivalent of ten average Wichita Falls homes using 4,000 gallons per month. Ongoing water use is minimal.

On the power side, Wichita Falls benefits from robust transmission infrastructure built over decades, originally to serve the Oklaunion coal plant and later expanded to integrate wind generation into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT grid.

ERCOT actively manages large loads and can throttle usage during peak demand to maintain reliability. These facilities are designed to be flexible partners to the grid, not threats to it.

Housing pressure is likely. Based on experiences in Abilene, rents will rise during peak construction periods. That is precisely why proactive planning for temporary housing matters.

The opportunity is substantial. Wichita Falls currently has a tax base of around $8 billion. The Skybox project alone projects up to $12 billion in investment over time. As multiple data center developments come online, the expanded tax base creates alternatives. Roads, utilities, and infrastructure improvements can be funded without increasing taxes on current residents.

Change is uncomfortable. Some people would prefer none at all.

But history shows that communities which opt out of technological shifts tend to stagnate while others move ahead.

These data centers are not just buildings. They are the backbone of artificial intelligence driven services that support everything from healthcare and manufacturing to logistics, education, and national security.

Hosting them positions Wichita Falls as a 21st century contributor to a strong and growing U.S. economy.

The same spirit that made the Internet possible — open participation, shared benefit, and long-term thinking — is now shaping our future.

Recognizing that moment and preparing our workforce, infrastructure, and community to meet it strengthens us while offers opportunities for our citizens.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

Anyone who has ever coached a team knows how hard it is to get everyone moving in the same direction at the same time.

The lesson you learn early, often the hard way, is that you never win or lose alone. Success is shared. Failure is shared. What matters is whether the team understands that reality before the game starts.

Both of my sons played soccer. My youngest was a goalie, which means every mistake is public. When the other team scored, he took it personally, like a referendum on his own ability.

I kept reminding him — the other team did not beat you — they beat every player on your team.

They advanced the ball past midfield. They created space. They made the final move. The goal might show up in one place on the field, but it was created across the entire system.

That is how teams work. Offense gets the headlines because it scores. Defense keeps you in the game long enough to matter. One without the other collapses.

Watching the NCAA tournament this week brought that lesson back into focus.

A recent Wall Street Journal profile of UConn coach Dan Hurley described a leader obsessed with structure. His teams run deep, detailed playbooks. Each player knows exactly what is expected in every scenario. The repetition is relentless. The goal is not creativity in the moment. The goal is speed and certainty under pressure.

When the plays are internalized, opponents struggle to adapt. They cannot build a defensive plan that holds for forty minutes because the system keeps coming.

Even so, execution still decides outcomes. UConn jumped out early in the title game, then stumbled. Michigan adjusted, held the lead, and finished stronger.

The lesson is not that playbooks guarantee wins. The lesson is that without a playbook, you are relying on improvisation when the stakes are highest.

The same dynamic shows up in competitive industries.

The companies that consistently win are not winging it. They invest in shared language, shared process, and continuous training.

They move faster not because they are smarter in the moment, but because they already agreed on how decisions get made.

I was fortunate to learn this lesson decades ago from my late friend Alan Kelly. In the late 1980s, he taught me how to think about playmaking and the strategy of influence.

He went on to publish his playmaking strategy in a book, The Elements of Influence (with additional writings available from a web search1). Years later, he advised John McCain on strategy during his 2008 presidential run.

Alan believed influence was not a personality trait. It was a system. He defined three phases in any influence effort: assess, condition, and engage. Within those phases, he outlined twenty-four distinct plays that guide how you work with collaborators, compete against alternatives, and help a customer or constituent reach a decision.

Those plays were not abstract theory. They were practical tools. In the assess phase, you test assumptions. In conditioning, you divert attention, frame the problem, or freeze the conversation in a way that aligns people around a shared solution. In the engage phase, you press for action, preempt objections, or provoke momentum.

When the system works, decisions feel natural instead of forced. Everyone understands the game that is being played.

Now bring this down to earth. Think about your business, your nonprofit, or the volunteer work you care about. How do you engage competitors for attention, funding, or support.

Most of us operate with a loose bundle of habits. We do what worked last time. We train new hires from static documents and hope experience fills in the gaps.

Compare that to nonprofit work. You volunteer to lead a fundraiser and suddenly everyone is looking at you for answers.

Often there is no playbook. No record of last year’s sponsors. No list of suppliers. No notes on what worked and what failed.

You are expected to recreate success from memory and goodwill while the clock is already running.

I learned a better approach from another board member years ago. The Junior League of Wichita Falls passes down a set of functional notebooks to the subsequent board.

These contained lessons learned, contacts, timelines, and traps to avoid. That simple practice turned each event into a repeatable system instead of a one-time scramble. Every handoff mattered.

Without that continuity, you end up racing with one or both hands tied behind your back. You burn energy rediscovering what is already known. You miss opportunities to deepen relationships.

And at the end of the event, you forget the most important play of all, closing the loop with gratitude and purpose.

A recent full-page ad from United Supermarkets captured that idea perfectly. Easter greetings. Gratitude. Stores closed for one day so employees can be with their families.

A reminder that when you know who you are and how you operate, even small gestures reinforce trust.

Playbooks are not about control for its own sake. They are about respect for the people who come after you.

Leaving a system behind makes winning together more likely the next time the game is played.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

There are moments when a single sentence reframes decades of experience.

Late in 2024 I heard John Sharp, then Chancellor of Texas A&M University, say “Everything in the world was produced by God or an engineer.”

That idea has stayed with me because it captures the intersection of belief, discipline, and human effort as well as my life’s work.

Educated as an engineer, I spent my career in semiconductor chips, an industry built on learning curves and relentless improvement.

Every time cumulative shipment volume doubles, costs reliably drop by roughly thirty percent. Two such cycles turn a one-dollar product into fifty cents. With volume increasing across expanding markets, products that once seemed expensive became commonplace.

Volume rewarded learning, and learning rewarded discipline. Over fifty years, the growth of the semiconductor industry rivaled some of the world’s largest enterprises. Chips are everywhere today.

Today artificial intelligence is driving a new surge, with expectations that the market could double again in a couple of years. Growth on that scale does not happen by accident.

The real challenge is creativity, execution, and process. Factories must be filled. Yields must improve. Quality must remain high. Products must arrive on time.

Sustained success depends on renewal and new markets, often requiring that half of revenue comes from products less than three years old. Standing still is not an option.

That same dynamic applies far beyond technology. Businesses, nonprofits, and individuals face the identical requirement for renewal and market expansion.

Without long range thinking and continuous learning, yesterday’s strengths become today’s constraints. Too often mediocrity becomes the default.

Rarely does anyone choose it explicitly. Comfort replaces curiosity. Stability starts to feel like success. Learning slows. Eventually good enough stops being a checkpoint and becomes the destination. Andy Grove, Intel co-founder, captured this threat in his book, “Only the Paranoid Survive.”

Excellence has always been rare because it demands intention. Evolution is unforgiving. Resources are limited. Competition is constant. You either adapt or fall behind. Learn or die is not a slogan. It is a description of how progress actually works.

Decades ago, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman captured this reality with their book, “In Search of Excellence,” emphasizing habits rather than hype. Listen to customers. Trust people closest to the work. Improve systems continuously. These principles were not trendy. They were disciplined.

Clayton Christensen later sharpened the point in his book. “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” Disruption does not arrive through incremental improvement. It appears as step change that is dramatically better, 10 times cheaper, or faster.

When it arrives, markets move quickly, and organizations rooted in legacy thinking struggle to respond. Thomas Friedman expanded the frame even further in “The World Is Flat.” Technology eliminated distance as protection. Geography no longer guarantees relevance. Work, ideas, and services can come from anywhere.

These books define today’s competitive reality for organizations and individuals because ambition is everywhere.

Much of the world is hungry for progress. In places where traditional systems fail, people improvise and adapt. Africa’s mobile banking revolution did not wait for brick buildings or established institutions. It emerged from necessity, cell phones, and creativity. Entire microeconomies formed because people refused to accept the limits placed in front of them enabling commerce via ubiquitous cell phones without local banks.

Momentum builds when progress is allowed. Data centers provide a modern example. During the domestic energy boom in the Permian Basin, natural gas production exceeded pipeline capacity and prices went negative. Waste became opportunity. Servers were placed near gas flaring sites, converting excess energy into computing power. Early designs were rough and inefficient, but engineers kept learning.

Today liquid cooling defines advanced facilities. The concept itself is not new. It existed decades ago. What changed was understanding. Improvements in materials, sensors, and controls transformed an old idea into something far more effective. Old becomes new again through learning — not nostalgia.

The lesson is uncomfortable. Standing still is not neutral. Stability without growth is erosion. Comfort carries a hidden cost.

Excellence requires modeling better behavior for those watching. Our children. Our coworkers. Our communities. It means staying curious when coasting feels easier. It means learning new skills even when old ones still work. Longevity is not the same as relevance.

Excellence does not announce itself. It is built quietly, choice by choice.

Over time, those choices compound into careers, organizations, and communities that remain useful, resilient, and worthy of trust.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection, service, and lifelong learning.

In 1992, psychologist Richard P. Bentall published a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics that still feels uncomfortably relevant. His argument was deliberately provocative.

Happiness, he suggested, meets the diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder.

He even proposed a name for it: “major affective disorder, pleasant type.”

At first glance, the idea sounds ridiculous. Happiness is the thing leaders are told to maximize — not pathologize. Entire industries exist to help organizations become happier places to work.

Bentall was not arguing against happiness itself. He was challenging the assumption that happiness is inherently healthy, neutral, or even accurate.

His framing was clinical rather than philosophical.

First, happiness is statistically abnormal. Most people, at any given moment, are not especially happy.

Second, it appears as a discrete cluster of symptoms. Third, those symptoms include cognitive distortions that would raise concerns in almost any other context.

People who report being happy tend to overestimate their control over events. They rate their own abilities unrealistically high. They compare themselves to others in ways that consistently favor their own standing.

The flip side of this is what psychologists call “depressive realism,” the unsettling finding that mildly depressed individuals often assess reality more accurately than their more cheerful counterparts. That point tends to get dismissed as an academic curiosity. It should not be.

Modern work culture treats happiness as an outcome to be engineered.

Leaders are told to drive it. Teams are encouraged to project positivity regardless of circumstances. Organizations invest heavily in perks, programs, and messaging designed to sustain a general sense of cheerfulness.

What Bentall’s paper reminds us of is that sustained happiness is not just rare. It is distorting.

In small doses, optimism is useful. It fuels motivation and helps people act in the absence of complete information. It makes risk tolerable.

But when optimism becomes a default state, it carries costs. Overconfidence reduces sensitivity to risk. Unrealistic self-assessment weakens learning. Biased comparisons slow improvement.

Anyone who has led a team through a missed forecast, a failed launch or a sudden market shift has seen this play out. Excessive positivity delays difficult conversations. It reframes warning signs as temporary noise. It encourages people to explain away evidence rather than grapple with it.

Bentall pushed the argument even further. He noted that happiness can be reliably induced through drugs or electrical brain stimulation, which suggests it reflects abnormal functioning of the central nervous system. That observation strips happiness of its moral status. Happiness is not a virtue. It is a neurological condition.

For leaders, this reframing can be quietly freeing.

You are not failing if your team is not consistently happy.

In complex, fast-moving environments, perpetual happiness should raise questions rather than morale. Healthy teams oscillate. They experience confidence and doubt. They feel tension before breakthroughs. They feel discomfort while learning. Those emotional shifts are signals, not defects.

The new-collar economy depends on adaptability, truth telling, and situational awareness.

None of those are especially pleasant in real time. They require attention, restraint, and the willingness to see constraints and tradeoffs clearly rather than optimistically.

This is where many leadership conversations go wrong. We conflate happiness with engagement, and engagement with effectiveness.

Yet the most effective people are often not the happiest in the moment. They are focused. They are alert. They are realistic about what is possible and what is not.

People can tolerate a great deal of uncertainty when they trust their leaders and believe the work matters.

They struggle much more in environments that insist on positivity while quietly eroding credibility.

Bentall’s paper was partly satirical. Even casual coverage of it points out that it reads as an inversion of diagnostic logic. But like most effective satire, it works because it exposes a real blind spot.

Perhaps the goal of leadership is not to maximize happiness, but to cultivate clarity, meaning, and durable progress.

Happiness may appear as a side effect. It may not. Either way, it should not be the primary signal that things are going well.

The healthiest workplaces are often not the happiest ones. They are the most honest.

You can read Bentall’s original paper here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1376114/pdf/jmedeth00282-0040.pdf

And regardless, those of you who know me know I still choose happiness as a backdrop for living.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Empathy doesn’t arrive fully formed. It is not a switch that flips the moment we decide to be better people, better leaders, or better partners.

It develops the way most meaningful skills do: slowly, unevenly, and often after we have made a few uncomfortable mistakes. Awareness of others is not something we inherit. It is something we practice.

Most of us begin by seeing the world through a single lens: our own.

Early on, we are transactionally focused. What do I gain? What do I risk? What do I expect in return? If the benefit is unclear, we quietly disregard the person, the conversation, or the experience.

Then life intervenes. Sometimes gently. Sometimes with force. A difficult conversation. A lost deal. A relationship that doesn’t unfold the way we imagined. A moment when we realize we were hearing the words but not listening for the meaning.

Those moments are turning points. They shift us from self-focus to other focus, from certainty to curiosity. They introduce the realization that everyone around us carries information we do not yet have.

Greek philosopher Plutarch captured this simply: “Know how to listen and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

Listening to imperfect communicators teaches us patience, humility, and discernment. It sharpens our ability to understand intent beneath execution.

In professional environments, this kind of listening changes everything. It creates cultures where people feel respected — not managed. Ideas surface earlier. Creativity improves. Innovation becomes a shared responsibility rather than a top-down exercise. Leaders who listen build trust, and trust compounds.

In personal relationships, listening acts as a stabilizer. When we listen to understand rather than to respond, defensiveness drops. Conversations lengthen. Conflict softens. Connection deepens. Emotional safety is not declared; it is demonstrated through attention.

The challenge, of course, is that listening well is harder than ever.

Digital communication strips away tone, expression, and context. Active listening requires effort. It asks us to slow down, notice patterns, and remember what was said without rushing to solve it.

Empathy begins the moment we stop assuming our experience is universal. It grows when we acknowledge that everyone carries a story we cannot see. It matures when we allow another perspective to exist without trying to fix, judge, or compare it to our own.

This is not just emotional intelligence. It is relational intelligence. It affects who we hire, who we follow, who we partner with, and how effectively we solve meaningful problems together.

Choosing the right partner is not about checking boxes. It is about fully seeing another person. Understanding how they navigate the world. What energizes them. What exhausts them. What patterns they repeat under pressure.

Empathy is the bridge that allows two people to meet in the middle without losing themselves. It keeps us from falling in love with potential while ignoring reality.

Awareness helps us choose wisely, whether selecting a partner or emulating a leader. It teaches us to pay attention to behavior, not just words. How do they treat people who offer no advantage? How do they respond to disappointment? Do they listen to understand, or listen to win?

These are not small observations. They are foundational signals.

Empathy does not just help us choose relationships. It helps us sustain them. It softens reactions. It creates space between stimulus and response. It reframes relationships as collaborations rather than competitions.

When empathy is present, conflict becomes a conversation. When it is absent, conversation becomes conflict.

Ironically, empathy grows fastest when we turn inward. When we recognize our blind spots. When we admit we do not always get it right. Humility creates room for connection.

In a world that rewards speed, empathy asks us to pause. In a culture that celebrates independence, awareness asks us to pay attention.

And in an era where technology can imitate almost anything, genuine human understanding remains irreplaceable.

So here is the invitation. Practice seeing people clearly. Practice listening without rehearsing your reply. Practice noticing the moments others overlook.

These practices will not make you perfect. They will, however, make you present. Over time, presence becomes consistency, and consistency becomes the quiet signal others come to trust most.

The right people will not just appreciate that effort. They will meet you there.

Because empathy is not only how we understand others. It is how we recognize those who understand us over the long run.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Photo Caption: Empathy grows when working on problems that help others grow. Southwest Rotary Club of Wichita Falls partners with Road to College to sell flag subscriptions that fund grants for organizations, and Road to College inspires students to lead, serve and attend college. Flag subscriptions are available at https://southwestrotary.com/page/flag-program-sw-rotary-of-wichita-falls

At 71, I’m in my eighth decade of life, and when I look back, I see a long stretch of ups, downs, and the occasional train wreck. I’ve gathered friends across every era of my life, and my family, thankfully, is doing well — better than many.

I tend to my health while navigating the changes that come with age. I focus on what matters: the people I love, the communities I belong to, the unfinished purposes, the joy of learning anew, and the privilege of serving others.

Death and taxes, as the saying goes, don’t negotiate, no matter how prepared or unprepared we are.

I recently lost a dear friend, and though grief has its own rhythm, I also felt relief that his suffering from bone cancer came to an end. His faith carried him with a certainty that brought comfort to those around him, and I choose to believe he stepped into the joy he had long anticipated.

I am appreciative of the health care professionals who stand beside families in those last days, offering dignity, steadiness, and compassion when everything feels fragile. Their work reminds me that even when we can’t control outcomes, we can still influence how someone experiences their final moments, and that matters more than we often admit.

I’ve learned over the years that life rarely slows down just because we wish it would.

Things happen around us constantly — unexpected events, shifting plans, surprises that land without warning. Some people drift with the current, doing what needs to be done to get through the day, but I’ve always believed that each of us can shape our path more than we think.

Choices matter. How we act on those choices matters. The sacrifices we make to keep our focus on what is important, rather than what simply feels urgent, become the defining lines of our days.

I’ve been tutoring a master of business administration student this semester in organizational behavior, and the conversations remind me how much I’ve seen, tried, failed at, and figured out along the way. Having managed large teams, I understand how psychology, structure, intention, and humility come together to shape meaningful leadership.

We’ve been exploring decision making, and every session takes me back to moments when I had to choose quickly, cautiously, or creatively. Maslow once said that if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and I’ve watched that play out more times than I can count.

Emotions flare, first impressions mislead, and people cling to familiar tools even when the situation demands something different. Sometimes the sheer number of possible solutions overwhelms even the most capable minds, and the discomfort of uncertainty pushes people into premature decisions.

Others double down on failing strategies because they can’t let go of sunk costs.

Today’s workforce is rich with diverse skills, and I’ve seen the magic that happens when one group generates solutions while another evaluates them. It’s a simple shift that prevents tunnel vision and opens the door to genuinely better options.

When solving problems our minds can trap us into seeing only what we expect. Dunker’s classic candle test is a perfect example, well explained in Dan Pink, the “Candle Problem” at

Given a candle, matches and box of tacks, your problem is to stick the candle to the wall. Most people don’t realize the box holding the tacks is part of the solution.

As in life, we get so locked into an assumed purpose that we miss the possibility sitting right in our hands. We hurry to prove competence. Quick solutions are often praised more than thoughtful ones, even when they cost us more in the long run.

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission to find and map water on the Moon is a painful reminder. Brilliant people, working under pressure, missed a flaw in the solar panel orientation software, and the spacecraft was lost within a day. One small oversight became a total mission failure as the panels pointed away from the sun.

Emotions come to mind as my arthritis acts up or when feeling the warmth of another sunrise with both reminding me, I’m still alive and have choices today.

Every day is another amazing chance to look closer, pause longer, and consider the day’s problems as opportunities I might have missed before.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Peter Drucker’s famous line — “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” — has been repeated so often we sometimes forget the weight behind it. But Drucker didn’t arrive at that insight casually.

He spent a lifetime observing how people work, what motivates them, and why some organizations thrive while others stall out even with the best plans in hand.

Born in Austria in 1909, shaped by the turbulence of pre‑war Europe, influenced by economic thinkers like John Maynard Keynes, and eventually landing as a teacher and consultant in the United States, Drucker became known and recognized — accurately — as the man who invented modern management before his death in 2005.

His work resonated deeply with Japanese manufacturers who, in the middle of the twentieth century, were hungry to improve how they used their resources, how they developed people, and how they built products with long‑term value.

Those companies listened carefully to Drucker’s emphasis on effectiveness over efficiency, on strengths over weaknesses, and on responsibility to customers and communities. As Japan’s export strength grew through the 1970s and 1980s, American leaders began taking Drucker’s ideas seriously, too.

Some of his best lines still guide us today.

· “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

· “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”

· “What gets measured gets improved.”

· And the one that lands the hardest in turbulent times: “Managers cannot assume that tomorrow will be an extension of today.”

Drucker saw clearly that organizations get into trouble when they optimize processes that never should have existed in the first place, or when they keep trying to solve problems instead of identifying opportunities.

He understood that people — not spreadsheets — determine outcomes. And he predicted the rise of the “knowledge worker,” someone whose primary job is to learn continuously. In his view, standing still meant falling behind.

You can see his ideas play out in communities trying hard to grow.

Many cities reinvent their strategies every election cycle — new plans, new slogans, new committees. But culture doesn’t shift just because the strategy-of-the-year changes.

If the underlying mindset remains “that’s not how we do it here,” even the most exciting plans will fail to take root. New leaders arrive full of energy and leave exhausted when the status quo pushes back harder than the strategy can pull forward.

The ideas weren’t bad. The culture simply won.

You see the same pattern in families. Parenting has changed dramatically in the last few decades.

Many parents today feel pressure to be their child’s friend, to avoid conflict, or to keep life easy and entertaining.

Yet children who miss school several days a week, coast academically, and approach learning primarily as a chance to socialize are entering a world shaped by artificial intelligence, rapid job change, and continual self‑education.

If they haven’t been challenged to build discipline, curiosity, and resilience, how will they adapt?

Culture shows up in small habits: whether families read together, whether adults model learning, whether children see mistakes as something to hide or something to grow from.

Even handwriting — something as simple and human as putting pen to paper — has become rare enough that some parents now use cursive as a secret code their children can’t interpret.

What happens a generation from now when families inherit boxes of handwritten letters and journals but need AI just to decode them?

Nonprofits wrestle with these same cultural dynamics.

A board might craft a brilliant strategic plan filled with metrics, timelines, and bold goals. But if the culture inside the organization or with their volunteers resists accountability, fears transparency, or avoids difficult conversations, that plan will gather dust.

A nonprofit can raise money for new programs, but if staff burnout is normalized or innovation is discouraged, the organization will struggle to deliver impact.

Many nonprofits eventually discover that the real work isn’t rewriting the mission statement — it’s rewriting the habits, expectations, and unspoken rules that shape how people show up every day. And often, when the culture shifts even slightly toward clarity, trust, and shared ownership, momentum suddenly appears.

Parenting offers a helpful parallel here: in both settings, people rise or fall to the expectations around them.

A household with consistent routines, a sense of purpose, and adults who model the behavior they want to see will almost always outperform a household that relies on last‑minute fixes and shifting rules.

Likewise, organizations that cultivate curiosity, responsibility, and candor tend to outperform those that chase every new idea without addressing how people actually behave.

At the core, Drucker’s lessons remind us that our time is finite and precious. We don’t get to run life twice.

So, the question becomes: are we spending our time doing things right — or doing the right things? Are we choosing effectiveness, or just motion? Are we building cultures that help people grow, or ones that quietly hold them in place?

I choose to be open, to share ideas, to learn alongside others, and to recognize that success has many parents — but failure often belongs to only a few.

That’s why culture matters. It’s the soil everything grows from. Strategy is important. But culture determines whether that strategy ever becomes real.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Photo Caption: Renovation continues for Memorial Auditorium, originally constructed in 1927. The City’s goal is to move into the newly remodeled space by late this spring with the first City Council meeting scheduled there in June. Utility operations moved already as residents can pay water bills at 1300 7^th St. Photo Jack Browne Times Record News

There comes a point in every career, often in the middle of an ordinary day, when you can feel a quiet shift inside you. It might show up in frustration, boredom, or the subtle sense that something important is missing. Beneath all that sits a truth you cannot ignore.

Your best times are yet to come. You are not finished. You are not past your prime. You are not stuck forever.

If you do not like your job right now, you are not broken. You are human.

You are standing on the edge of your next chapter, waiting for the courage to step forward and claim it.

Many of us were raised on the idea that life is hard, so you tough it out, shake it off, and get back to work. That message was meant to make you strong, but endurance alone is not the goal.

Grinding through years of work that drains you does not build character. It drains your energy and your confidence. Real strength is not staying in the wrong place. Real strength is recognizing that something needs to change and willingly learning what is needed.

The working world can feel like the school of hard knocks. Not everyone gets a medal. Most have no clear roadmap. Some people discover their path early while others move through several careers before finding their true course.

Experience is a tough teacher but also a loyal one. It keeps showing up. It keeps guiding you. It keeps reminding you to pay attention to what matters most.

When you stop learning, you stop living. Curiosity keeps you awake. Growth keeps you alive and moving forward.

If you are feeling lost, it does not mean you lack purpose. It means your purpose is evolving.

Your life is far bigger than a job description. You work not only for yourself but for the people you love, the people who count on you, and the community that shapes you.

Most people serve in several communities at once, not only through employment and family stability, but also through volunteering, friendships, mentoring, coaching, and acts of service that strengthen the people around them.

The full picture of your contribution becomes part of the legacy you leave — rather than drifting through life.

Purpose grows when you understand who benefits from your effort. When you show up with intention, your family feels it. Your colleagues feel it. Your community feels it.

Contribution is not about money or status. Contribution is about impact. It is about being someone others can rely on. It is about modeling resilience, integrity, generosity, and possibility for the people watching your example.

If you want a new direction, start by shifting your environment. Reflect on who stands around you and what they bring to your life. You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

If your circle limits you, your ambition shrinks. If your circle lifts you, your courage expands.

Choose people who remind you of who you can become. Choose people who challenge you to grow. Choose people who help make your family, your community, and your future stronger because you learned from them.

Most of us belong to multiple communities. Work, family, neighborhood, social groups, community organizations, and faith communities all shape our identity.

Each provides a different place to contribute, a different opportunity to connect, and a different path for growth.

Sometimes your purpose becomes clearer when you step into a new community and show up in a different role. When you try new things and contribute in new ways, you uncover strengths you did not realize you had.

You find new motivation. You discover new connections. You notice needs your skills can help solve. Participating actively instead of passively creates momentum you can feel, and momentum others can see.

None of this requires perfection. It requires determination, focus, consistency, and the willingness to work your plan even when progress feels slow.

Your best days are ahead of you. Not because the path will be easy but because you are stepping into your future with a deeper understanding of your why in the first place.

When you bring the best of who you are to the people around you, you elevate everything you touch. Your community needs your best. Your family needs your best.

And your future self is waiting for you to recognize that your best times are not behind you. They are still on the way.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Change never asks permission. It simply arrives, pulls up a chair, and starts rearranging the furniture.

Some people grumble. Some resist. But the ones who thrive — the ones who keep moving up and to the right — are the ones who learn to welcome the rearrangement. They understand that with change comes growth, and with growth comes opportunity.

We’re living in a moment when the future isn’t creeping toward us; it’s sprinting.

The doubling of recorded knowledge every twelve hours isn’t a statistic to admire. It’s a reminder that the world is accelerating whether we feel ready or not.

Expectations don’t slack off just because the pace is uncomfortable. Quotas don’t drop because the learning curve feels steep. Investor interest doesn’t pause to let us catch our breath. The question is always the same: What did you do for me today?

That pressure can feel relentless, but it also signals something important.

We are entering an era where curiosity is currency. The people who stay relevant are the ones who stay open — open to learning, open to experimenting, open to letting go of the way things used to be.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the AI‑connected economy taking shape around us. Data center decisions — once the domain of back‑office engineers — now shape local economies, energy markets, and workforce development.

Communities that once debated where to put a new water tower are now debating where to put a hyperscale compute cluster. And just like every wave of innovation before it, this one brings out the familiar chorus of “Not In My Back Yard” concerns.

We’ve been here before. Water infrastructure. Power lines. Cell towers. Wind turbines. Every new technology that threatens the status quo triggers the same reflex: Why in my neighborhood? What about the noise? What about the view?

The details change, but the pattern doesn’t. Innovation arrives, resistance follows, and eventually the new thing becomes the normal thing.

AI is following that same arc. The largest semiconductor companies are now AI‑centric, and AI already accounts for half of the global semiconductor market revenue.

That’s not a forecast — it’s the present tense. Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, xAI, and a growing constellation of providers are weaving themselves into every industry, every workflow, every decision chain. AI is everywhere, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s useful. It’s the next general‑purpose technology, the kind that reshapes everything it touches.

Some people hear that and feel threatened. Others hear it and feel energized. I’ve lived long enough to know which group ends up happier.

The world is flattening again — not in the Thomas Friedman sense of globalization, but in the sense that access to intelligence, tools, and capability is becoming universal.

A kid in Wichita Falls can build something today that would have required a research lab 20 years ago. A retiree can launch a business from a kitchen table. A small nonprofit can analyze data like a Fortune 500 company.

AI doesn’t eliminate human potential; it amplifies it.

The real question is: Where will we be when the dust settles? Will we be the ones who dug in our heels, insisting the old ways were good enough? Or will we be the ones who leaned forward, embraced the future, and found joy in the learning?

Welcome the future. Let curiosity pull you forward. Let change stretch you. Let the next wave of innovation be something you ride, not something you brace against.

These decisions are in front of many communities — including Wichita Falls. I urge our City Council to embrace the AI opportunity. The increase in our tax base will improve the quality of life for every citizen.

Industries deal with their challenges and risks to better optimize costs. Closed‑loop cooling significantly reduces water requirements, as the system is filled once, then maintains the environment for AI computing needs.

Electric demand stimulates new creativity. Small Modular Reactors are an emerging source, with Texas focusing on this new power option. Texas A&M‑RELLIS is hosting several SMR suppliers as they come to market. Other universities are also players in SMRs.

By the way, RELLIS stands for A&M’s core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service.

In any case, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, is establishing protocols that allow rapid growth to be managed without undue burden on ratepayers while ensuring electricity continues to support the Texas miracle.

The future isn’t waiting for us to feel ready. It’s already here. And it’s offering us a chance — once again — to move up and to the right, increasing good for all in our life’s timeline.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

P.S. The rest of the story,

Additional comments beyond what was included in Wichita Falls Times Record News article

While some may say we have about a dozen data center in planning so why do we need another. We don’t have any data centers currently under construction. A site decision with available land, electricity, high bandwidth network connectivity and water for start up requirements.

Timeline to construction has many more steps before a tenant, e.g. Microsoft, Google, OpenAI or another AI company commits to fund the facility. Till ground breaking this is just an opportunity and a place that could develop as a data center.

Electricity needs

ERCOT’s planning process is in redefinition due to number of large load connections soaring for 50 on planning backlog to over 250 data centers requests as of November 2025.1

ERCOT Large Load Integration Program Optimization2
Additionally, ERCOT has contracted with McKinsey and Company to assist with improvement of the Large Load Interconnection process originally developed in 2022, which now has more than 225 gigawatts (GW) of Large Loads going through the process. ERCOT and McKinsey will work with Large Load customers, including data centers, utilities, and other stakeholders to develop a framework expected to identify short- and mid-term solutions to interconnection queue issues in early 2026 — with a goal of providing a streamlined, transparent, and consistent interconnection process for reliably connecting Large Loads later in the year.

“As we work to address current and future Large Loads connecting to the ERCOT grid, we want to provide the best solution to serve this growing area while also protecting the reliability of the grid,” said Woody Rickerson, ERCOT Sr. VP and COO. “McKinsey’s experience in complex program management will help facilitate this important work.”

Water needs

Data centers in planning will use closed loop water cooling. A 1-million-square-foot data center utilizing a true, non-evaporative closed-loop cooling system (such as air-cooled chillers or direct-to-chip liquid cooling) requires minimal water for operations compared to traditional evaporative systems. The water demand is concentrated during the initial setup, with negligible consumption thereafter.

• Start-up (Initial Fill): Requires a one-time fill of the entire cooling infrastructure. For a facility of this scale, this can range from hundreds of thousands to over 1 million gallons to fill pipes, chillers, and heat exchangers.

• Ongoing Operations: Near-zero, with water needed only for system “topping off” due to minor leaks or maintenance, or for non-cooling uses like humidification, bathrooms, and cleaning.

By the way 100 average homes in Wichita Falls would use approximately4.8 million gallons of water annually, based on data indicating that average Wichita Falls residents use approximately 48,000 gallons of water per year. This estimate is based on lower-than-average usage rates compared to other Texas cities, according to a2016 report from News Channel 6 | Wichita Falls, TX.

source: https://share.google/aimode/eOHvE2bCxmUeCZzsQ

There’s a moment every parent and grandparent recognizes when the wide‑eyed wonder of childhood begins to mature into something deeper. My grandchildren are stepping into those pre‑teen and teen years now, and I see the transformation happening.

Their questions change. “Why is the stove hot?” becomes “Where does the energy come from?” and eventually “How does everything connect?” Those questions aren’t simply about heat or electricity. They’re about systems, relationships, and the invisible threads that hold our world together.

Watching them learn reminds me that curiosity is the first step toward wisdom. It’s also a reminder that adults are still learning, still questioning, still trying to make sense of a world that seems to grow more complex by the day.

Every generation believes the world has become more complicated than the one before it. Maybe that’s true. But complexity isn’t something to fear. It’s an invitation to pay attention.

My oldest son started a new job last week as a sales executive at a tech company, leading a team scattered across different time zones, cultures, and backgrounds. The range of skills required to lead effectively today had me reflecting on how much the workplace has changed since I first walked into it—and how much it hasn’t.

Technology is evolving at a pace that feels almost impossible to keep up with. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, workflows, and expectations faster than most of us can process. Yet the core of every job still comes down to people. Tools change. Human nature doesn’t.

That’s why communities endure even as technology accelerates. We’re wired for connection, not constant optimization.

And yet we live in a culture that celebrates multitasking as if it’s a badge of honor. Research shows that switching rapidly between tasks can drop our effective IQ to that of an eight‑year‑old. We lose clarity. We lose presence. We lose the ability to think deeply. In trying to do everything, we end up doing nothing well.

The modern workplace demands something different—not more speed, but more awareness. Not more noise, but more discernment.

The challenge today isn’t just being smart. It’s having the common sense, resilience, and emotional intelligence to survive, thrive, and endure in a world that rarely slows down.

One concept I’ve been exploring lately is neurodiversity as I coach an master’s degree in business administration student through his Organizational Behavior course. It’s not a trend. It’s not a label. It’s a reality. Neurodivergent simply means having a brain that diverges from typical neurological patterns.

It encompasses a wide range of conditions and traits that influence how individuals process information, communicate, learn, and interact with the world. Neurodivergence exists on a spectrum, and there is no single correct way for a brain to function. Rather than viewing these differences as deficits, the neurodiversity movement recognizes them as natural variations in human neurology.

Neurodivergent people may experience the world differently through their senses — sights, sounds, lights, textures, and smells. Their social communication may differ, including how they interpret non‑verbal cues or sarcasm, as is often the case with autism. They may struggle to stay focused on tasks that feel uninteresting or repetitive, a common experience for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Others may learn differently or process written language in unique ways, as with dyslexia. These examples only scratch the surface of the broad range of neurodivergent experiences.

Roughly half of Gen Z identifies with some form of neurodivergent traits. With more than 70 million people, Gen Z is becoming the largest generation in the United States. That means today’s workforce entrants think differently, process differently, communicate differently, and contribute differently than the generations before them.

If half of an entire generation experiences the world through a different cognitive lens, then the systems we build — from classrooms to boardrooms — need to evolve.

Neurodiversity isn’t a challenge to be managed. It’s a strength to be understood. When people are allowed to work in ways that align with how their brains function, creativity expands. Problem solving improves. Teams become more dynamic. The workplace becomes more human.

The Marines have a saying: improvise, adapt, overcome. The world isn’t slowing down. The questions our kids and grandkids are asking aren’t getting easier. But we can choose how we respond. We can choose curiosity, flexibility, and humanity.

And that brings to an old Chinese proverb, often described as either a blessing or a curse: “May you live in interesting times.”

Interesting times aren’t something to fear. They’re something to engage with.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Jack Browne, Wichita Falls Times Record News edition, Sunday February 1, 2026

People live in communities and we debate the priority of self, community, country and God. Usually, our prioritization is an accommodation of our wants starting us done a slippery slope of ethics and character.

Time is fleeting goes the saying with all equally having 24 hours in the day. How we use our time and live our life is the essence of our purpose.

Steve Jobs noted, “As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.”

Our social media leads with advertising to create wants, and audacious influencer posts to create followers. Many fall under the spell of needing more — more likes, more stuff, more casual connections.

Age teaches one the power of endurance for its not the start of the journey but the effort and scenery along the trip. For all of us the destination is the end with many having hopes of a life beyond death.

Yet how do we live our lives?

With a global population exceeding 8 billion, 85% of the world lives on less than $32 per day according to Gapminder, while10% of the world exists on about $2 per day and another 50% living on between $2 and $8 per day.

In the US life is totally different.

According to Statista, 45% have an annual 2024 income less than 75,000 with 16% enjoying an income greater than $200,000.

We covet new cars, big houses, latest smartphone and steaming media showing us we need even more.

I used to motivate my sales team asking spouses if they needed a new car, new pool or new home. We covet what others have, thinking if I only had that, then my life would be perfect.

Peace and serenity come from gratitude that yield satisfaction.

What is the satisfaction of seeing a child smile as they learn to tie their shoe or read a book on their own.

What is the satisfaction of solving another’s problem, a wheelchair ramp easing entry to and from their home, food for their table and teaching folks how to do things they long to learn.

Final words for your consideration follow.

Financier J.P. Morgan said, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything; a good reason and the real reason.”

Jack Krasula, autograph collector received this reply as he asked for Pope Francis autograph and philosophy of life, “At whatever level He calls me to serve him my aim is to reach out in Community with love to those in our society who are weakest and in need.”

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

In uncertain moments, courage rarely announces itself.

It doesn’t arrive as a speech, a slogan, or a moment meant for sharing. More often, it shows up quietly, as people choosing to stay engaged when stepping back would be easier. I was reminded of that recently through a series of community moments that, taken together, point toward hope and renewal at a time when both can feel harder to reach.

The theme of this year’s 37^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer and Scholarship Breakfast was “courage in crisis.” That phrase fits where many of us find ourselves today. Change is constant. Certainty is scarce. People are tired, cautious, and wondering whether effort still matters. And yet, the tone in the room wasn’t anger or nostalgia. It was resolve.

Dr. King understood that progress rarely comes without resistance, and that courage isn’t just the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move forward anyway. That idea echoed throughout the program. We were reminded that injustice is sustained not only by active opposition, but by disengagement. Silence has consequences. Showing up matters, especially when outcomes aren’t guaranteed.

Delivering the opening remarks at this year’s event, Emmanuel Cruz Reyes, a sophomore at Legacy High School, reflected on King’s challenge to confront the injustice of hatred and fear, urging each of us to find our voice and speak out.

Reyes grounded his message in one of King’s most enduring reminders of perseverance: “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.”

Dr. K. Shelette Stewart gave the keynote sharing timely interpretations of Dr. King’s messages that speak to the specifics of what our community and nation can do to continue to progress.

Dr Stewart authored the book “Revelations in Business,” blending faith with corporate strategy. Recalling a question asked of Helen Keller, “Is there anything worse than blindness?” Keller’s answer, “It’s terrible to have sight but no vision.”

One message landed clearly with the 385 attendees: movement matters. Not fast movement. Not flawless movement. Just movement. Progress doesn’t require perfection; it requires persistence.

That perspective resonated, particularly with younger people navigating a world full of noise and pressure to perform before they’re allowed to participate. Hearing that their role isn’t to have all the answers, but to keep moving, was grounding.

Twenty-five deserving students received over $37,000 of scholarships. From the $1,000 first awarded in 1998, over $271,000 of scholarships have been awarded.

Students can apply for multiple scholarships on the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation website https://www.wfacf.org/apply-for-a-scholarship/ before the February 1^st deadline

Courage appeared beyond the breakfast as well, in ways that didn’t draw attention. It showed up in a decision to support a small convenience store on the Eastside.

For many of us, access to basics like fuel barely registers. But in neighborhoods with limited options, losing a single resource has real consequences. Supporting that store wasn’t just about financing. It was about continuity and dignity.

The TIF #3 board met Jan 15^th and made their first funding decision. Few options exist on the Eastside for gasoline fill-ups. Zoom Zoom #5 convenience store had worked with city planners for several months, and their request to replace failed fuel pumps was approved as a loan.

It also showed up at the North Texas Food Pantry, where volunteers quietly serve families week after week. No banners or headlines, just steady effort.

Most volunteers are retirees and long‑time residents who believe service is part of responsibility. The challenge is that many are aging out, and without new volunteers, an essential layer of support for over 2,000 recipients cannot continue.

Come Monday, Tuesday, Thursday mornings and volunteer — email jack@newcollarcoach.com to keep this community service going.

These moments share one common thread: engagement. Communities don’t grow stronger because conditions are ideal. They grow stronger because people stay involved when conditions are hard.

Courage, in this sense, is practical. It’s attending the meeting, filling out the paperwork, stocking shelves, mentoring students, and answering the phone instead of scrolling past the problem.

Hope and renewal rarely arrive all at once. They’re built through accumulated decisions that prioritize people over convenience and long‑term impact over short‑term ease. Scholarships awarded to students are more than financial help. They signal belief—belief that potential exists everywhere and that the future isn’t fixed.

As we move forward, the choice before us is clear. We can step back and lower expectations, or we can lean in, accepting that uncertainty isn’t a signal to stop, but an invitation to lead differently. Not louder. Not faster. Just steadier.

As the proverb reminds us, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now.”

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Six years ago, the world changed in ways we never imagined. COVID-19 swept across the globe, and overnight, the rhythms of life we took for granted were gone.

We masked up, stayed home, trading handshakes and hugs for Zoom calls wearing dress shirts and pajama bottoms.

What started as a temporary adjustment became a permanent shift. By May 2023, when the World Health Organization declared the public health emergency over, the old normal had vanished. In its place stood a new reality — one that still feels unsettled for many of us.

Generations adapted differently. Millennials and Gen X stepped into leadership roles, steering businesses and institutions through uncertainty. Gen Y entered a world where remote work and virtual learning were the default.

Gen Z, raised in the shadow of the pandemic, redefined education as screens replaced classrooms. Gen Alpha now enters classrooms as groups fragmented by conforming ideas.

And all of us, regardless of age, learned that the way we connect, collaborate, and even disagree had changed forever.

Before COVID, conversations across differences were common. We could sit down, share ideas, and walk away with respect intact.

Today, social media often sorts us into echo chambers, clustering us with people who think like we do.

The result? Tolerance for opposing views is fading.

Stop expecting others to meet you where you are. They may not be capable of it. Waiting for a return to pre-COVID comfort zones is a losing game as that world isn’t coming back.

If we want to move forward, we need to adjust — not just for ourselves, but for the generations coming behind us.

Our economy tells the story clearly. It’s K-shaped: those with plenty are doing well, while those without struggle daily. The safety net that keeps society strong isn’t built by policy alone; it’s woven through engagement and through people choosing to make a difference in lives that lack economic security, health, or the social connections most of us take for granted.

The challenge is personal. It starts with setting the tone for your own day. Instead of letting old expectations define your feelings, choose to focus on what you can do now.

Disappointment thrives when we measure today against what we lost. Hope grows when we measure today against what we can build.

Those who will thrive in this era aren’t clinging to the past — they’re changing their expectations and broadening their perspective on what others can and will offer.

Change your mindset so you can be part of making life better for others. Because here’s the truth: the pace of change isn’t slowing down.

If anything, it’s accelerating. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping industries, jobs, and even the way we define value.

The metrics we’ve relied on for decades — success, stability, predictability — are eroding. There’s no universal new normal waiting for us. Everyone’s normal is different now.

That can feel unsettling — even overwhelming. But it can also be liberating.

When there’s no single standard, we’re free to create our own. Peace, happiness, satisfaction — they’re fleeting today, but they’re not gone.

They’re just harder to find if we’re looking in yesterday’s places. The future belongs to those willing to adapt, to engage, and to keep moving forward even when the ground feels shaky.

So let go of the idea that we’re going back. We’re not. And that’s okay.

Because what’s ahead isn’t just challenge — it’s opportunity. Opportunity to redefine connection, to rebuild trust, and to create a society that works better for more people. It starts with us, one choice at a time.

Every conversation, every act of kindness, every willingness to listen matters. These small steps add up to big change. And while the pace of change can feel relentless, it’s also a reminder that progress is possible. We are not powerless in this moment; we are participants in shaping what comes next.

The question isn’t whether change will happen. It’s whether we’ll meet it with resistance or resilience. Resilience means learning, adapting, and finding meaning even when the path ahead is unclear. Build bridges instead of walls, seek common ground instead of retreating into silos.

Remember the strength of a community isn’t measured by uniformity, but by its ability to hold differences together without breaking.

As the old proverb says: “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” The waters may be rough, but they’re teaching us how to navigate. And that skill will carry us farther than calm ever could.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Jack Browne, Wichita Falls Times Record News edition, Sunday January 11, 2026

Every January, we’re flooded with talk of resolutions — grand plans to eat better, exercise more, learn new skills, or finally tackle that big career move. But here’s the truth: writing down a resolution isn’t enough.

Hope is not a strategy. If we want real change, we need more than good intentions — we need a plan, discipline, and accountability.

Most resolutions fail because they’re built on wishful thinking. It’s like buying a lottery ticket and expecting financial freedom. The desire is there, but the roadmap is missing. Success doesn’t come from hope alone; it comes from consistent action.

Think about it: when you set a resolution, you’re essentially saying, “I want to be better.” That’s a great start, but without structure, life’s distractions will pull you off course. The key is to turn those hopes into habits — and habits require time, focus, and repetition.

One approach that works: break your year into 90-day segments. Why 90 days? It’s long enough to make meaningful progress but short enough to stay motivated. A 90-day plan gives you a clear timeline for action and helps you build momentum.

Here’s how it works:

• Set SMART goals for the next 90 days. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

• Avoid vague resolutions like get healthy. Instead, define measurable actions: Walk 30 minutes five times a week or complete one online course in using AI this month.

• Refresh your plan every quarter. Life changes, and so should your goals. Resetting every 90 days keeps your strategy relevant and your motivation high.

• Track your progress. Whether it’s a journal, an app, or a simple checklist, monitoring your actions reinforces accountability.

Think holistically; you are a sum of the parts.

Resolutions often fail because we focus on one area—like fitness—while ignoring others that impact success. A holistic approach works better. Consider these four quadrants:

1. House, home, and community: Your environment matters. A cluttered space can drain energy and focus. Having a safe and secure home, makes it easier to focus on the important goals you desire. Making a difference in the community is exhilarating and satisfying.

2. Friends and Family: Relationships provide support and accountability. Surround yourself with people who encourage growth. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Consider which relationships help you stay on plan to achieve your plans.

3. Work and Study: Career and learning goals keep you moving forward professionally while stimulating other life interests. Don’t forget to give back, teach or mentor another.

4. Health and Wellbeing: Physical and mental health fuel everything else. Healthy habits keep your stamina up while easing stress.

When you grow in all four areas, you create balance — and balance sustains progress.

Mentorship and accountability are powerful and necessary for success.

Even the best plan can falter without accountability. That’s where mentors, coaches, and supportive peers come in. They help you stay honest when you’re tempted to slack off. A quick check-in can prevent one missed day from turning into a week — or a month — of lost progress.

Programs like Café con Leche’s Road to College in Wichita Falls understand this well. They ask students three simple but powerful questions:

• Who are we?

• Where are we going?

• How are we getting there?

The answers — Road to College, to College, together — remind students that success is a shared journey. Mentorship, family support, and community make the difference between dreaming and doing. Since 2013, this program has helped hundreds of first-generation students prepare for and graduate from college. Today, it serves 220 families, proving that structured support works.

Dream. Plan. Work the Plan.

Resolutions aren’t magic — they’re commitments.

A Japanese proverb says, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

The sweet spot is having both: a clear vision and a disciplined plan.

So, as you look at your resolutions:

• Do you have a dream?

• Do you have a plan?

• Are you working that plan?

If not, start today. Break your goals into 90-day chunks. Focus on all areas of life. Find a mentor or accountability partner. And remember constant learning is essential because the world doesn’t stand still — and neither should you.

Be who you can be. Our community needs you.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Correction to last weeks’ column — The TIF #3 board meeting is this week: 5:30–7:30 p.m. Thursday January 15 at the Martin Luther King Center, 1100 Smith Street. Come make a difference, participate in our community.

This issue is marks my third anniversary of writing this column. Ongoing reader feedback keeps me fueled looking forward to a new topic every week. Let me know what you think — and what you need!!

Oscar Wilde wrote about the impossibility of returning to the past in “You Can’t Go Home Again,” published posthumously in 1940. Influenced by the turbulence of the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the rise of Nazi Germany, Wilde captured a universal truth: time changes everything.

His character Webber realized that nothing stays the same — family, places, or dreams. That truth resonates today. Holiday visits remind us how much has shifted since childhood. The streets we knew, the homes we loved, even the rhythms of life — they evolve.

Here in Wichita Falls, that reality hit hard on June 30, 2007, when the Wichita River flooded to a record 24 feet, its highest level since 1941. Entire neighborhoods — East Side, Tanglewood, Wrangler’s Retreat, Horseshoe Bend Estates — were devastated. Between 167 and 600 homes were damaged, many beyond repair.

The city responded with resilience. Federal Emergency Management Agency grants purchased and demolished roughly 100 homes in the floodplain with restrictions ensuring no new construction would occur on those parcels in the 100-year floodplain.

In 2009, city leaders created Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Revitalization Zone #3 to breathe life back into areas scarred by the flood. This zone, set to sunset in 2029, channels incremental tax revenue into infrastructure and community development.

As of early 2025, TIF #3 has accumulated funds exceeding $1.5 million due to increases in city and county property tax receipts since 2009 that are set aside for reinvestment.

The board — led by Chair Kenneth Haney includes Ray Dixon, Sandra Gross, Wichita Falls councilors Robert Brooks and Tom Taylor, and Wichita County Commissioners Mark Beauchamp and Barry Mahler — recommends how funds are allocated: 40% for private projects, 40% for public projects, and 20% for community-driven discretionary investments.

State law sets boundaries and rules, but there is flexibility — and a real opportunity for residents to shape what comes next. Recommendations from the TIF #3 board will be finalized by the Wichita Falls City Council and Wichita County Commissioners Court.

Ideas in discussion include demolition assistance to remove hazardous structures, as well as acquiring vacant parcels — many small lots — combining them into larger parcels that offer commercial opportunities. With the city undertaking these tasks, the results are more attractive for further investment in new properties that attract businesses and residents to the East Side.

Processes are in place for residents and developers to engage in renew actions with some funding available from TIF #3 funds. City planning staff has details and works with applicants who meet requirements — such as current on property taxes — to make dreams reality.

Additional discussions at the December TIF No. 3 meeting included engaging with Falls Forward in economic development discussions. Several good-sized commercial parcels are nearby the business park with an ample sewer, water and electrical supply available. These are good alternatives for new business investments as the city owned business park has filled existing developed parcels.

More information is available on the city web sites with TIF No. 3 info at https://www.wichitafallstx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22394/TIF3?bidId=.

For agenda’s on January meetings, check the city agenda and minutes web site: https://www.wichitafallstx.gov/1542/Agendas-and-Minutes.

Correction: The next TIF No. 3 meeting is 5:30–7:30 p.m. Thursday January 15 at the Martin Luther King Center, 1100 Smith Street. If you care about the future of the East Side, show up. Your voice matters.

Community engagement doesn’t stop there. On January 17, the 37th annual Martin Luther King Scholarship and Prayer Breakfast will be held at the Ray Kclymer Exhibit Hall at the Pulti-Purposew Events Center, 1000 5th Street. Serving line opens at 7 a.m. Dr. K. Schlett Stuart — associate director of executive education at SMU’s Cox School of Business — will speak on leadership and service. Scholarship awards to local students will follow, with some sharing their thoughts as well.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for children. Contact MLK Center coordinator Michael Davis at 940-761-7980.

Why attend both events? Because paying it forward means investing in people and places.

Wilde was right — you can’t go back to the old forms and systems. But you can help create what’s next. Wichita Falls has weathered storms before. Now, with vision and collaboration, we can turn vacant lots into vibrant spaces and dreams into reality while honoring leaders and awarding scholarships to the next generation.

This is what community looks like — neighbors showing up, voices being heard, and plans taking shape. It’s about more than rebuilding; it’s about reimagining. When we invest in infrastructure, we invest in opportunity. When we support scholarships, we invest in hope.

Opportunity and hope create better, more vibrant futures for our residents.

Join us. Let’s honor the past by building a future worth coming home to.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.

Relationships matter. They always have — and they always will. In my career selling technology, success didn’t come from the latest product spec or the slickest demo. It came from relationships. People trusted me because I invested in them. They expected value, and I delivered.

I’ll never forget what Steve Jobs once said to me: “My money doesn’t break. I don’t expect your products to break either.”

That wasn’t just about hardware. It was about trust. When you give your word, when you give your best effort, people expect you to stand behind it.

As we gather with family and friends during the holidays, we’re reminded of something simple but powerful: we give, and we get. But here’s the catch — too many people keep score. They weigh the give against the get, ready to walk away if the math doesn’t add up.

Smart people don’t play that game. They invest in others without expecting an immediate return. They give because someone else needs the gift — whether it’s money, ideas, or mentoring.

And wise people take it a step further: they encourage recipients to “pay it forward.” That’s how one act of generosity multiplies to ten, a hundred, and a thousand people.

But it all starts with two things: respect and character.

Respect isn’t just about how you treat the person in front of you. It’s about how you treat people when others are watching — and when they’re not. I recently had a customer come into my store talking on speakerphone. She argued loudly, using language that would have made my mother reach for the soap. I decided right then: this isn’t what other customers deserve. Respect matters, even in small moments.

Character is what you do when no one’s looking.

Character is revealed in the quiet choices. Do you keep the money that falls from someone’s pocket — or return it? As I became a leader at Motorola, I saw how character shapes culture. The company built its values around dignity and respect. Every person mattered. Every job mattered. That’s what made the team strong.

Today’s best companies follow the same principle. They don’t treat employees like cogs in a machine. They treat them like partners. Nonprofits do this too — respecting clients, employees, volunteers, and donors alike. Families thrive on these ideals as well. After all, who wants to spend Christmas with Scrooge?

Make a difference—one person at a time.

Not everyone enjoys these kinds of relationships. Some people feel invisible. We pass them every day without noticing. This season, I challenge you to make a difference — one person at a time. Start small. Offer a smile. Ask, “How are you?” And then listen. Really listen.

If you want to go further, look around your community. There are countless organizations doing incredible work: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Camp Fire, Café con Leche Road to College, Faith Mission, Grace Ministries, Interfaith Outreach Services, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Optimist Club, Rotary, Salvation Army, Scouting. Food banks and pantries help families who don’t have enough to eat. Churches reach beyond their walls to change lives.

You don’t need a big budget or a big title to make an impact. You just need a willingness to share what you have. Think in terms of the four Ts:

• Time – Volunteer an hour. It matters.

• Talent – Use your skills to help someone grow.

• Treasure – Give what you can. Even small gifts add up.

• Testimony – Share your story. It might inspire someone else.

Pay it forward, by inviting your holiday guests from out of town to join you in a gift to another by serving a meal at a mission or delivering meals. Plant the seeds with your children and grandchildren to change the future.

Joy is in the giving—even more than the getting. So, this Christmas season, think about your community. Can you make life better for someone else? Can you give without keeping score?

Make your mother proud. Make a difference.

P.S. buy tickets for your family to the January 31 70^th annual Pancake Festival at tickets.universitykiwaniswf.orgwebsite.

Jack Browne is a community activist and former technology executive who believes in the power of connection and service.