By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

Before he retired, my father-in-law, John F. Douglas, Jr., was a vice-president of Eastman Chemical Products Corp., a division of Eastman Kodak, in Kingsport, Tenn. During his long and successful career, he had many duties and among them, at one point, was the responsibility to recruit and hire engineers for the plant that employed in excess of 15,000 workers.

One of his frustrations was expressed in the statement he once made, "Too many new engineers want to be paid for what they learned in school not for the work they are supposed to do at the plant."

In other words, many of the new hires saw their sheepskins as a meal ticket, not an admissions ticket.

On a flight from southern California to Atlanta recently, I sat next to an energetic young man, an engineer by training, educated at Auburn University. John P. Bradford is vice president and general manager for Bentley Mills, Inc., located in City of Industry, Calif. We engaged in a lively and enlightening conversation during the four-hour flight and we discussed topics such as those situations encountered by my father-in-law.

Mr. Bradford said that, in his observation, there was a certain "profile" of a successful worker. While admitting that his observation was unscientific, he nevertheless held that the profile was generally true in his experience. I have added my comments to his profile. The six elements of the most successful employees, especially those who are white-collar professionals, according to Mr. Bradford, are:

They come from blue-collar families. Interestingly, this may be due to the concept, found in blue-collar families, that one must "work for a living." People from blue-collar environments are accustomed to getting their hands dirty and staying with a job until it is completed. Many times, I heard my own father, an electrician, say, "No one owes you a living. If it worth having, it's worth working for."

They put themselves through college. Oh, they may have the G. I. Bill, student loans, scholarships, or grants but, rather than coast on "Daddy's money," when they walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, they take satisfaction in knowing that they did it themselves. In Mr. Bradford's case, he had an athletic scholarship and worked two jobs during his tenure at Auburn University.

They often go into challenging fields. Successful people look at what will personally challenge them and stretch them, not at what will be the easiest and simplest path to take. Many go into engineering, medicine, or other difficult courses of study.

An interesting note is that a large number of CEO's of Fortune 500 companies had prior service in the Marine Corps. Georgia's Democratic senator, and former governor, Zell Miller, wrote a book describing how his life had been altered and shaped by the grueling process of Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S. C. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura served as a member of a U. S. Navy SEAL team. Successful people do not avoid the challenges they seek them out!

They are not the very best students. Perhaps, surprisingly, the most successful people were most likely not the people who made straight "A's." In Bradford's profile, the successful employee is the one who was a good solid "B" student with a smattering of "C's" and "A's" sprinkled throughout their transcript. It's hard to keep a 4.0 when one has to put one's self through college, especially if there are other commitments, as well.

They had a social life apart from school. The successful person, rather than being confined to the library throughout his or her college years, had other interests and involvement. In addition to working part-time jobs, these people often were involved in student politics, sports, fraternities or sororities, church, or other interests that brought them into contact with people.

They often had a tragedy in their past. Perhaps they were raised in a ghetto by one parent, or perhaps a parent died while they were young. Some experienced accidents or trauma. Some were the victims of bullies in elementary school and beyond. The tragedy, rather than overwhelming them, became a defining moment and helped to push them to succeed.

So, those born with a "silver spoon" in their mouths do not always have the edge, if Bradford's profile is accurate. It seems it's not always whether or not one has money or pedigree that determines future success. It seems, rather, the willingness to work, to overcome, to fight against the odds, that determines the prospects for success. It's whether or not one has "heart." My father-in-law loved to hire people like that.

[David Epps is a priest and rector at Christ the King Church in the Fayette-Coweta area of Atlanta. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at http://www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]

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