What We’re Listening to: “R.O.G. Return on Generosity”
Seems fitting that the Nicest Guy in Cable would end up on a podcast called “R.O.G. Return on Generosity.” If you’ve been feeling Rob Stoddard’s absence since he retired from NCTA in January 2022, this interview might just be what you need to ease that void.
Host Shannon Cassidy, founder/CEO of Bridge Between and a frequent WICT Network presenter on executive coaching and professional development, leads an interesting discussion that takes us from Stoddard’s childhood (did you know he used to play ball in the backyards of MLB pitchers Curt Simmons and Robin Roberts?) to career highlights, including the analog-to-digital television transition.
Along the way, Stoddard reflects on the impact mentoring others has had on him. “I was introduced to the most amazing world of diversity and multi-ethnicity that I didn’t expect. Through [The WICT Network and NAMIC], I was able to be introduced to a wide variety of individuals that have intensely different backgrounds. And by forming the bonds with them that I did, I found myself to be immensely better educated in the worlds from which they came,” he said. “It was only because of their openness, their willingness to share their life stories with me, the opportunity to engage with them in the places they lived and worked. Of all the things I’ve done in my life, that probably gave me the most well-rounded view of American society and the world at large. That was an amazing return for me and something that keeps giving to this day.”
Stoddard’s career began as a news assistant at the Washington, DC, bureau of ABC Radio. He worked for UPI and served as Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS). Stoddard was in corporate communications for Continental Cablevision and AT&T Broadband. He capped off his career with a 20-year run at NCTA, retiring in January 2022 as SVP, Industry & Association Affairs.
The interview closes, appropriately for those familiar with Stoddard, with his views on civility. “I think anyone who preaches civility now feels a little bit like a wolf in the wilderness because our society regrettably has degenerated to the point where we seem to act more confrontationally than civilly,” he said, acknowledging that his experience is colored by his many years working in D.C. “I strongly believe that the only salvation for American society as a whole for people to begin to behave more civilly…It means compromising your point of view to get to a good result. It means treating people well and treating them with respect even if you disagree with their ideas…” – Amy Maclean