By Jill Wojciechowski

This is one in a series of personality profiles in Horizons online that takes a closer look at the members of the Rockwell Collins executive leadership team.

Executive profile index

John-Paul Besong had barely entered his teenage years when his father sat him down for a serious discussion. Knowing full well that his 13-year-old son had little knowledge about the world around him, Gabriele Besong did what he could to prepare his eldest child for the challenges - and opportunities - that lay ahead.

Passionate about education and intent on ensuring each of his five children was afforded the best possible schooling, Gabrielle had made a difficult decision. He and his wife, Esther, were about to send young John-Paul to boarding school in a country more than 3,000 miles away from their home in Cameroon, West Africa.

"I remember very well the day my dad explained to me that I was about to go out into the real world, and I would have some difficult decisions to make," recalled Besong, the current senior vice president of e-Business at Rockwell Collins. "He then said to me, 'John-Paul, your decisions determine your destiny.' To this day, I am still guided by those words."

The journey begins

Although Gabrielle Besong passed away more than two decades ago, his eldest son remains driven by the expectations also established during that rite of passage so many years ago.

Despite all of the successes he has enjoyed throughout his life - both personally and professionally - the man affectionately known to most as "JP" still wonders whether he's making his father proud.

"I learned very early in life that the only one who could stop me from succeeding was me," said Besong, who attended school in England until age 19. "I also learned from my father that the way to determine my self-worth was through my own hard work - not through what he had done. His successes were his, and my successes would be mine."

Always interested in math and science, and committed to a profession that would allow him to travel the world, Besong decided against becoming a medical doctor - a career he originally thought he would pursue - and instead opted to become a chemical engineer.

"I wanted to travel and I knew that if I pursued medicine, I would end up staying in Africa," he explained. "Engineering gave me a chance to leave Africa and England behind, and to explore the United States. I just didn't realize at the time that I'd end up being an American citizen."

Following high school graduation in England, Besong took his uncle's advice and enrolled in engineering school at the University of Minnesota.

"My uncle had received his Ph.D. from Minnesota, and he told me they had a very good engineering school," explained Besong. "I had never been to the Midwest, and I always enjoyed exploring and going where I had never been, so I decided to give it a try."

What the West Africa native didn't realize prior to attending college was that wintertime in Minnesota meant sub-zero temperatures, significant snowfall, and sunshine without warmth.

"There's a network of tunnels beneath campus at the University of Minnesota, which meant I could get from one class to another without having to step foot outside," said Besong. "In Africa, when the sun came out, it was warm. So, even though I knew it was wintertime and there was snow on the ground, I just couldn't believe it could be that cold."

That quickly changed when the first-year student wandered out into the bitter-cold temperatures one winter afternoon to take a closer look at the squirrel he had been watching from his dorm room window.

"The snow looked so pretty on the ground and the sun was shining, so I decided to go outside to see what was going on," he said, laughing. "I made a big mistake when I left my coat inside and the door locked behind me. That's when the true sense of winter in Minnesota set in - sunshine doesn't always mean warmth."

A change of heart

Photo by Paul Marlow, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sharing his past — John-Paul Besong, senior vice president of e-Business at Rockwell Collins, is a native of Cameroon, West Africa. About three years ago, he returned to his homeland with his wife, Phyllis, and their sons, Clayton and Brandon. Although he isn't able to visit frequently, he remains in close contact with his extended family.

Having learned his lesson about the Midwestern climate and, ultimately, growing to enjoy it, Besong delved into his studies. By the time his senior year rolled around, he was president of the university's Engineering Society, and had several job offers awaiting.

"I originally thought I would end up in the petroleum industry," said Besong. "I wanted to work for a company with a strong global presence, and Texaco and Mobil Oil were very attractive companies at the time."

He also was being heavily pursued in the late 1970s - a time when microprocessors were taking center stage - by Intel Corporation. With corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., this advanced technology and manufacturing leader had definitely caught Besong's attention.

However, following his interview and realizing how far the West Coast was from the Minnesota city he had come to love, Besong had a change of heart. He then set his sights on 3M - a company based in St. Paul - and one he had come to know and admire.

"3M was a hotbed for processes and innovation in terms of chemical engineering," said Besong. "Our company wasn't even on my radar at that time. In fact, I didn't even know where Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was located."

Ironically, part of Besong's role as president of the Engineering Society was to host company recruiters, and that's how he met the individual recruiting electrical and industrial engineers at Rockwell International in Cedar Rapids - known today as Rockwell Collins.

"We had a nice visit and he told me I was the kind of guy his company was looking for," said Besong. "So, I described to him what I was looking for, and he wanted me to interview for a spot at one of Rockwell International's facilities in California."

Having already turned down an offer from Intel, Besong explained that he wanted to remain in the Midwest. He then asked the recruiter if the company needed chemical engineers at any of its Midwest locations and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Climbing the corporate ladder

Three months after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering, Besong joined Rockwell International as a quality engineer in the company's Collins Printed Circuits (CPC) division.

Two years later, he received the first of many promotions to come when he was named manager of the Process Control Lab. By 1984, he had received the company's highest engineering honor when he was named the Rockwell International Engineer of the Year.

"I was always very energetic and I enjoyed solving problems," said Besong. "During those early years, I sort of lost track of time dealing with the career challenges and opportunities that kept presenting themselves.

"I was single, and I kept myself very busy with work," he continued. "When I wasn't working, I was either playing soccer with my friends or studying Taekwondo."

Convinced that he would remain in Cedar Rapids no longer than five years, Besong was about to consider making a career move when one of his friends introduced him to the woman who would eventually become his wife.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Phyllis Cooper had relocated to Cedar Rapids to manage an area retail store as part of a career development program. Like her soon-to-be husband, she had no intention of making Iowa's second largest city her permanent residence.

"We weren't looking to settle in Cedar Rapids, and look what happened," said Besong, who married Phyllis in 1986. "We've raised our children here, and this is the place we call home."

Three years after exchanging their wedding vows, the Besong's welcomed their first son, Clayton, now a 19-year-old sophomore at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. Five years later, the couple welcomed their second child, Brandon, now a 14-year-old freshman at Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

At the same time, Besong - who earned his Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Iowa in 1992 - continued to climb the corporate ladder.

By 1994, he was promoted from an engineering manager of CPC to business leader for CPC, Fabrication and Facilities. In 1997, when Rockwell Collins was formed, he was named the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program executive responsible for deploying the SAP business system across our company.

"Once Rockwell Collins had been created, we needed a common platform in order for our businesses to operate as one," explained Besong. "That was a project on which we spent more than $100 million, and it was all-encompassing."

A top-notch leader

With remarkable support from his wife, and the echo of his father's words of wisdom ringing in his ears, Besong continued his journey toward the top of the career ladder.

In January 2000, he became vice president of e-Business and, just one year later, he was named senior vice president of e-Business and Lean Electronics. In April 2007, began focusing only on e-Business after Rose Donnelly was appointed vice president of Enterprise Quality and Lean Electronics.

According to Steve Brandt, senior director of Aircraft Systems and Architecture at Rockwell Collins, Besong is a top-notch leader who is always concerned with providing our customers the best possible solution for the lowest possible cost.

"JP has a never-ending passion for Rockwell Collins' success," said Brandt, who first met Besong in 1987 when the two worked together on a project in Collins Printed Circuits. "He's always had a vision for both the company and himself, he's very focused, and he's a great listener; these things combined make him an excellent leader."

Steve Timm, vice president and general manager of Information Management for Commercial Systems, agrees. Regardless of a person's position within our company, he says Besong understands the importance each person plays in our collective success.

"When it comes to JP Besong, what you see is what you get," said Timm, who worked for Besong in 1997 on the ERP project. "He's the kind of person that you'll always remember, not because of everything he's accomplished, but because of the kind of person he is.

"He's passionate, he's focused on leadership, and he has a great way of challenging you to solve problems in a way you might not have otherwise thought about," continued Timm, who also admires the way Besong manages a successful work/life balance. "JP is certainly passionate about both his family and his career, yet he somehow maintains a clear separation between the two."

For Besong, maintaining that balance simply begins with him focusing on meeting the expectations he has set for himself as a husband, father, and executive.

"I respect the issue of balance, but I believe it's really a myth," he said. "What do you really consider 'balanced?' For me, when I'm with my family, they have all of my attention and, when I'm at work, I focus on what needs to be done there."

Living in the moment

A self-defined "simple" man who remains extremely close to his extended family in West Africa, Besong is looking forward to one day riding off into the sunset and leaving Rockwell Collins behind. But, he is quick to point out that he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the future.

"Life is only lived one moment at a time," said Besong. "In a sense, my future is now. I spend more time working hard to keep three things in constant balance than I do thinking about my future - my physical being, my mental being, and my spiritual being. When those three things are aligned, there's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it."

That's a life lesson the 54-year-old corporate executive is now handing down to his sons. And, like his father before him, Besong believes the key to happiness and success begins with quality education.

"My father always told us that receiving the best education was a luxury - not a right - and that's something I never forgot," said Besong. "It's also something I've tried to pass on to my sons."

And, that rite of passage between this generation began when Besong sent his elder son, Clayton, a hand-written letter shortly after he went to college.

"My father used to write me letters when I was away at boarding school, and I still retain those letters today," said Besong. "There were some key points I wanted to make to my son when he went off to college, so instead of sending an email or calling his cell phone, I sat down and wrote him a letter.

"Some of my biggest treasures are the letters I have from my father," he continued. "I still read those letters today, and I continue to feel his presence. Some day, I hope my sons will feel the same way about what I've shared with them."