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Grady B. Parks
I was born at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 28, 1940. Growing up under segregation and its enforced limitations was very puzzling. It was very difficult to understand what a ...voir plusI was born at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 28, 1940. Growing up under segregation and its enforced limitations was very puzzling. It was very difficult to understand what a person’s color had to do with human dignity, work opportunities, and social justice. It was even harder to accept the often meaningless service-oriented jobs offered to employable black teenagers. I am constantly reminded that the pains of segregation could have been more problematic had it not been for my grandparents’ limited societal protection and love. They also provided me with a solid moral foundation to employ throughout my life.
Let me assure my readers that all my childhood experiences were not doom and gloom. Blacks raised in Atlanta during this era were fortunate to have black-owned business establishments that provided sources of entertainment, eateries, hotels, nightclubs, drive-in restaurants, movie theaters, a bank, an insurance company, a golf course, and a host of other social outlets to sustain the black community during this Jim Crow era. Regardless of these limitations, most of our communities took pride in themselves, their appearance, their properties, and most were achievement-orientated.
After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1959, it became increasingly clear that I had to make a life-changing decision—go to college or join the military to get my service obligation out of the way in order to take advantage of future opportunities within our black or white communities. Although my grandfather encouraged me to go to Morehouse College after graduation, I decided to test the job market before entering any life-changing options. Needless to say, my jobs were considered good entry levels but did not offer me future growth or advancement opportunities. Several Jewish families I worked for during this time encouraged me to go into the military to escape segregation and acquire the necessary skills for a brighter future since I wasn’t interested in attending college at that time.
I can assure you my earlier life script prepared me for other challenging events I experienced in the military and in foreign countries where I lived or visited.
My initial military career was a great awakening because it forced me to take charge of myself. I learned early not to allow others to dictate my personal growth, professional development, and future destinies. One must keep in mind that our military establishment is a microcosm of our society—the military was no better or worse than our civilian counterparts. However, the military’s rapid punishment system under the Uniform Code of Military Justice made sure that civil rights and equal-opportunities violations were addressed and enforced more rapidly than when found in most civilian communities. The military approach to discovered inequities remains an example for our country to emulate in 2011.
During my forty-five active years in the adult workforce, I faced many challenging events, crises, and inappropriate business practices here and abroad. My thirty years in the United States Air Force exposed me to many multicultural experiences while attaining the highest enlisted rank of chief master sergeant. As one might surmise, I held many challenging positions and meaningful duty titles. However, my last two titles as superintendent, assistant for social actions and chief enlisted manager, directorate of personnel, at the largest major air command at that time was the apex of an outstanding military career. My military foundation, type-A personality, personal motivation, and commitment propelled me into some key positions during my subsequent civilian career. My efforts, dedication, and positive results reaped me many rewards, awards, name recognition, can-do reputation, great compensation packages, bonuses, and promotions. In retrospect, many challenges became joyous events as I rose from store manager to training manager, from human resources manager to division manager responsible for eighty-six convenience stores and two large truck stops. Some keys to my successes were directly linked to skillfully building a committed team of professionals; taking care of them and their career-development needs; treating them with dignity, honor, and respect; and equally balancing human relations and profitability. At the same time, I learned the importance of actively recruiting a diversified workforce that mirrors the indigenous communities.
After retiring, I have continued to provide managerial assistance and resolutions to some of my former managers and business associates. If I had to reach into my bag of bromides and come up with a thought-provoking statement, I definitely would use the thrust of SOSJADD (same old s——, just a different day). The more things appear to change, the more they remain the same.
I am proud to say, I was an unyielding warrior and made certain that I walked the walk and talked the talk without hesitation. It was my responsibility to look into the mirror of my soul, and I became very happy with what I saw and learned to love. I learned that people who were trusted into my care were my working-family members, and I had to treat them with dignity, honor, and respect. They were the heartbeat for my continued operational successes and the enablers for my growth and development. It was our blood, sweat, and toil in becoming the best of the best that highlighted our marquee results. I can assure you, nothing can compare to having successfully managed a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and life scripts to the apex of oneness in achievements. When you can do this at various locations around the world with the same successes, you will become an admired leader. However, you must learn to live by my code of honor: In God we can trust—all others must be monitored.voir moins
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