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B I R M I N G H A M



E

verything about Barry
Franklin screams super-
achiever. He is the direc-
tor of Preventative Cardiology
and Cardiac Rehabilitation for
Beaumont Health and a pro-
fessor of internal medicine at
Oakland University’s William
Beaumont School of Medicine.
He received bachelor’s, master’s
and Ph.D. degrees from Kent
State, University of Michigan
and Penn State University.
Franklin has been honored
with a laundry list of awards,
served on expert panels, writ-
ten or edited more than 700
publications (including 27
books); and his career moti-
vating people to make lifestyle
changes to prevent or halt
heart disease has saved or pro-

longed countless lives.
So, what does a person like
that do in his “spare time?” He
studies uber-successful people
and organizations, of course.
“Superachievers are people

who are highly productive,
they love what they do, and
they make a difference in
people’s lives. It’s as simple
as that,” Franklin explains.
“These people all feel to a
large extent that they make
their own luck in life. They
take 100% responsibility for
their outcomes, and they
focus on serving others.”
Franklin, 74, of West

Bloomfield, began
analyzing these
exceptionally suc-
cessful people in his
late 20s. He says it
started as an explo-
ration of how to be
and do better.
“I came to the
sobering realiza-
tion that 11 years of
college hadn’t prepared me
for the real world of work,”
Franklin says. “I realized I
lacked many skills, including
understanding the importance
of preparation, goal setting,
persistence, interpersonal
skills, communications skills
and more.”
So, he scoured the world’s
literature and began inter-

Barry Franklin uncovers the secrets
of highly successful people in his
new book, GPS for Success.

Here’s How to Be
a ‘Superachiever’

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

36 | AUGUST 11 • 2022

Barry Franklin

Livingston County-based Cleary University
announced that Douglas Stein, Ph.D., CPA,
CMA, CGMA, has been named the new pro-
vost and executive vice president of Cleary.
He will provide leadership and guidance over
the academic curriculum, retention, university
policies.

The JCRC/AJC announced the hiring of Sam
Dubin as its new assistant director. In addition
to working with the media and politicians,
Dubin will focus his efforts on many of the
principles the organization stands for — advo-
cating for Israel, fighting antisemitism, advo-
cating for local, state, national and internation-
al legislative priorities, and building relation-
ships with communities and groups in the Metro Detroit area.

On June 1, attorney Stuart A. Sklar
began his one-year term as the 70th
president of the Michigan Association
for Justice (MAJ). Sklar, a managing
shareholder at Fabian, Sklar, King
& Liss, P.C. in Farmington Hills, rep-
resents homeowners, business owners
and other policyholders in property
insurance claims as well as injured
victims of fires and explosions. “MAJ members not only
bring extremely important issues to light, but also pro-
vide a confident voice to those who would otherwise be
overlooked,” Sklar said. He joined MAJ in 1991 and has
served as an officer for the past four years.