Ron Newsome, manager of diversity and community impact for NBCUniversal / NBC Sports, shares his thoughts on "looking beyond the present," being laser focused and how a restaurant owner has impacted his life.

The First Call: In one sentence, describe what you do for a living.
Ron Newsome: I’m responsible for driving the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the areas of workforce, community and content within the NBC Sports Next business division.

TFC: What's the secret to your success?
RN: I have always attributed my success to looking beyond the present.  When taking on tasks or new projects, I'm not only thinking about the final execution, but I'm also thinking about the positive and/or negative impact of the project and how can this be leveraged to make an even larger contribution or impact to the team or organization. Thinking ahead has always kept me and my brand relevant.

TFC: Knowing what you know today, what professional advice would you give a younger you?
RN: I would definitely tell the younger Ron to focus more on being an A-plus student in one thing versus being a B-minus student in a lot of things. I think the most successful people are those who are laser focused on one thing and try to excel at that one thing and learn everything there is to know about that one thing.

TFC: What is your greatest extravagance?
RN: About three years ago I started getting into luxury watches and it has become an obsession. I bought my first Rolex about three years ago and it is definitely my prize possession, along with a few more that I haven't told my wife about.

TFC: What was your path to the golf industry?
RN: About seven years ago, I accepted a job with GolfNow, an online booking service for tee times at golf courses, as a human resources manager. In my new role as the manager of diversity and community impact, I still get a chance to support the golf industry and community in ways I think are valuable to the growth of the game. 

My key responsibility is to drive our "Better Together" initiative, which helps to create a more diverse workforce. At the same time it creates a more inclusive culture to execute our philanthropic activities to be more impactful in the community in which we work and live, and also to create and support content that is reflective of our society. 

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