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 knowi ng 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 [email protected] or at

https://www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]