Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 28)

INTERVIEW By Lori Becker PAVING J im Avery has always motivated by example. “I sought to generate and encourage the kind of team spirit and energy that was contagious and positive. I never sought to manage with fear or intimidation, which I felt were not appropriate in good management style,” explains Avery. “I wanted my employees to always know they could come to me at any time about personal matters or workplace concerns and find me fair, unbiased and human. My goal was to make the work environment an interesting and challenging one with a clear set of goals and objectives.” Although he was immersed in the world of academia, a phone call led to a different career path altogether. George A. Lloyd, assistant public relations manager for Esso Standard Oil Company (now a part of ExxonMobil), whose daughter he had taught, called Avery, saying the company needed a professional African-American employee with a background in education and community service who could join Esso’s educational relations and race relations programs. “When I was hired in 1956 as the only African-American in the oil industry at that level of management, I realized, no matter what the obstacles were at that time before the Civil Rights Movement, that I had to succeed for those who came after me in the corporate sector. The purpose for my being there was far too important for me not to give this responsibility the highest value.” Avery, who will be 85 in March, was born in an upstairs bedroom in Cranford, N.J., a long way from the slave cabin where his grandfather was born in 1845. Incredibly, his grandfather was owned by his own father, Colonel John Avery, a white plantation owner in Prince George County, Virginia. His grandmother was one of Colonel Avery’s many slaves. A modest man who has accomplished amazing things, Avery has demonstrated throughout his life that to make an impact on a national scale often takes a grassroots approach. One cause he championed in just the Way this manner, elevating it to a national concern, was preventative treatment for sicklecell anemia. Though the problem still exists, greater awareness and precautionary measures have reduced the incidence of new cases. One of Avery’s many honors was a Jackie Robinson Foundation ROBIE Award that he received in 2006 for lifetime achievements. His autobiography, Others Thought I Could Lead, offers a glimpse into his life and other accomplishments. Omega Psi Phi fraternity is an organization he led that is close to his heart. “Manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift” are the principles used since the organization’s founding in 1911. These are the principles upon which Avery has built his life and has used to guide him as a leader. “True leadership involves a way of life, a code of behavior that is built on the solid foundation of principle, respect and moral conscience. A good leader must have integrity, honor and a strong desire to serve in ways that bring benefit to others. It is not a matter of just having power. Good leadership involves having a This African-American trailblazer has accomplished amazing things in his career as a businessman, educator, motivator and philanthropic leader 28 | Incentive | February 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - February 2008

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

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