Comcast’s White Made Investing in Others a Priority
By Cathy Applefeld Olson
During his 11 years helming Comcast’s West Division from 2009-2020, Steve White oversaw 30,000 employees who served close to 10 million customers and drove annual revenue of nearly $18 billion.
Ask him the career milestone that most stands out, though, and White—who’s still part of the Comcast family in his role as president, special counsel to Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson—will tell you it was getting fired for being too focused on his own success when he was a young sales manager at a company that sold medical supplies.
While his ambition was the natural byproduct of being the eldest of four brothers raised by a single mom who cleaned motel rooms to pay the bills, that mindset didn’t serve his team, which faltered. “I thought early on in my career my purpose was to make as much money as possible so my extended family would never be in poverty again,” he recounts. “But I was so focused on me it got me fired,” he says.
Another exec at the company saw potential in White and recruited him for his team. “He said, ‘If you continue to lead the way you’re leading, your potential will never be realized. If you find a way to invest in others, they will promote you.’ I saw the way he invested in people and people responded to him. And that’s when I realized why so many people gave me a hand up, because I was destined to create opportunities for others,” White says.
The act of lifting others became the central tenet of White’s career. And it turned out to be excellent for business at Comcast West as well. The 13-state division thrived across broadband, video and voice during his tenure—all supported by a culture of collaboration and White’s keen knack for talent development that’s still paying dividends at the company.
“I always started with individual conversations… and then three times a year we would review the top 150 talent to see how are they progressing, where might they need help,” he says. White also conducted 75-85 focus groups with employees. Based on learnings, White developed a program through which he and his team would immerse 3,000 employees at the supervisor level and above in a year of accelerated training that included face time with White in Denver.
“While it prepared our people, the biggest message it sent was that we cared about them. The most precious thing we have is time. So when we invest time in people they pay it back 30 times over, and that’s why today two of the three presidents across Comcast are West division progeny,” he says, referencing current West chief Rich Jennings and Amy Lynch, who heads the Northeast division.
“Steve believes in the power of collaboration, helping individuals learn from one another while pushing them outside their comfort zone to achieve great things,” says Lynch. “In turn, employees gain more confidence in their abilities and want to take on more.”
Noting White “places the same emphasis, intentionality and thoughtfulness into his relationships with others as he does his business plan,” Jennings says White understands the significance of “presence” and “engagement” as a leader and has taught him, “Don’t stop learning and seeking new knowledge and perspectives.”
Today White has a hand in leadership development, strategic planning, DEI and digital equity. “Comcast started in 1963 and here we are some 60 years later as one of the top 30 companies in America. To know I was a small part of that fills my heart,” he says.
Outside of work, he keeps busy with writing and speaking engagements, philanthropy, and as an active father to a 10-year-old son.
“My child came along later in life, and I really get to be a dad,” he says. “My definition of a dad is being there. For a kid who grew up without a dad, this is something that means a great deal to me.”
