Class

Howard V. Blair, as President of Jr. Food Marts, Inc., and CEO of several affiliates he founded, used the word class in defining and writing the performance analysis for his company. It extended his ability to more quickly identify and measure the character and quality of men and women the company would potentially employ. Character was a dominant feature in making the final cut. Blair settled on the adjective classa!does he or she have aclass?a Like Louis Armstrong said about Jazz, aYou canat define it, but you knows it when you hears it.a What is it, where does one get it, who has it, and who cares? If you are hiring or seeking that something extra in friends, or considering marrying that person with the indefinable ait, a aclassa is important. Do they like themselves? It has to do with integrity, honesty, outlook, and willingness to work at a project or relationship. Do they have plain old guts? The courageous, the energetic, the insightful, the wise and the angry march past as the pages turn. He is generous in giving credit to the people who have shaped his life and built, as he says, aWhatever character I may have.a