by joe innace
FROM PERFECT VICTIM TO PERFECTING LEADERSHIP A journey from the projects to the boardroom
A
single mother with an eighth-grade education cleaning motel rooms to provide for her four young sons — on her own, while living in the projects of Indianapolis. Often, sadly, it’s a story that does end well. Steven A. White was the oldest of those four sons. “It was the perfect case for me to be a victim,” he told Advisors Magazine in a recent interview, “but certainly my mother had a clearly different vision for her four little boys.” Today, White serves as President and Special Counsel at Comcast. In his current role, he works with Comcast Cable leadership and the company on a number of important initiatives, including Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DE&I), leadership programming and development, and the advancement of digital equity in the areas of accessibility and affordability. He previously served as President of Comcast’s West Division. Steve’s mother understood that while she was unlikely to realize all her own personal dreams, her goal was to ensure that her sons did. She would often take the boys to her motel cleaning jobs because she could not afford a babysitter. “At the time, I didn’t realize the lessons I was learning,” White said. 40 / ADVISORS MAGAZINE
MAR 2022
“Clearly her skillset was much greater than a motel cleaner, but she approached that job with great attitude, great focus, great commitment.” White and his brothers also came to appreciate the sacrifices she had to make. And they saw how she realized and embraced her primary purpose, which was to raise four young boys, so that they would become contributing members of society. And today, they all are. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but what was being instilled in me is you never work a day in your life — if you find why you’re on this earth,” White said. And that’s a key theme in White’s book, which will be released nationwide during Black History Month (222-22). Its title: UNCOMPROMISING: How an Unwavering Commitment to Your Why Leads to an Impactful Life and a Lasting Legacy. White had considerable success coming out of college. But his first big job in a management role saw him fired within 12 months. The same day he was fired, however, he also received a call from another executive in a different division of the same company. That executive and soon-to-be-mentor was Darnell Martin. “Steve, I see more in you than you see in yourself,” White recalls Martin told him. “However, if you leave and
manage the way you’re doing today, you’ll never be successful,” White remembers. Martin said he wanted to move Steve from Michigan to Chicago. “He told me: ‘I don’t have a job, but I’m going to create a position for you. There will be no P&L responsibility. You’ll have no people. All I want you to do is watch, learn, and grow.’” And that’s what White did. He quickly realized that leading is about serving your team. “People support you when you support them,” he says. “Their efforts and loyalty intensify when they see it from you.”
