Clifton is a published author of three books. He was an executive at a top automotive manufacturer for nearly 30 years, owns his own business, and has an MBA. But he started his life far from the goalpost.

Clifton spent 12 years in foster care with his twin brother Charles, including 11 years in a Christian group home. The brothers knew their biological parents and why they couldn’t live with them. 

“Life was just challenging,” Clifton said. “There was too much month at the end of the money.” 

Clifton’s dad was the youngest of seven kids. Even with multiple older children working, Clifton’s family couldn’t make ends meet after his grandfather died. So, at age 12, Clifton’s dad started driving a grocery delivery truck. 

“I've heard my aunts and him tell the stories,” Clifton said. “He was too short to drive a delivery truck, so they literally put a milk crate or a bunch of phone books, and he would sit on those and drive a delivery truck.” 

At 16 years old, Clifton’s dad lied about his age and joined the Marines. 

“When World War II broke out, they needed people so bad that they took him,” Clifton said. “He and his brothers went to war. He was 16 years old over in the Philippines. They were just grunts; they'd line up in the boat and run up the shore and fall down and start shooting. That's what their role was. He had to grow up fast and hard.” 

Clifton’s mom also had to drop out of school during World War II. 

“She dropped out maybe around 15 or 16,” Clifton said. “There were just a lot of demands on people, you know? She only had one brother, and he ran off to join the army too. So my grandmother said, ‘You girls gotta work.’ So, they went to work, doing things that they could do. It was a different world.”

This meant that Clifton’s parents couldn’t care for their youngest children in the way they needed. Clifton shares his hardest story to tell - when he, Charles, and their sister were left alone for hours at a bus stop on Christmas Day because their dad was arrested for public intoxication. But the silver lining of this story was that Clifton was never alone. Clifton always had his twin. 

“My brother and I were smart enough to realize that… my parents are not going to be able to take us,” Clifton said. “There are a lot of challenges, but if you have a twin brother or a sibling, at least you're going through most of this stuff together. He doesn't know any more than I know most of the time, or I don't know any more than he does most of the time. Sometimes we just process it together.” 

Clifton and twin were the first in their family to go to college. In one generation, their family went from parents who were not able to finish high school, to two sons with MBAs. 

Clifton’s first job was at the automotive manufacturer, where his twin joined him just a couple years later. He found the opportunity through a career fair.

“I picked all the companies that I was interested in and sent them resumes, but some of the companies that didn't select me as an interviewee,“ said Clifton. “You have to buy your hotel room, and pay for your meals, and drive. So, there's money going out, not money coming in. I would call people at the hotel and say, ‘What are you doing for breakfast or dinner?’ and I would try to slide myself into another interview. My best job offers came from that. Burlington Industry said, ‘Hey, come work with us, and we'll give you free sheets and curtains and towels,’ and Proctor and Gamble said, ‘We'll give you toothpaste and laundry detergent,’ and the automotive company said, ‘We'll give you a new car.’ I said, ‘I'll take the car behind door number three.’ I worked there for 27 years.”

His 27-year tenure included a recession that rocked the automotive industry, and his response will always be associated with his career. Clifton published a book about how the company should respond to the changing economy, without asking for the company’s permission. 

“The company was in trouble, and we were doing what I thought were just crazy things,” he said. “I wrote the book mainly because I was frustrated that nobody was doing the right thing. We lost over $12 billion in 2007. That's $400 a second. I had a pretty good view of some things that we ought to change, but nobody would listen because nobody wanted change.” 

He continued, “I write this book, I didn't even think I was going to publish it, but when I got to the end, I said, ‘If they'll do what we say in this book, they got a chance to turn it around.’”

Clifton knew that if he published the book, he would likely lose his job. He sought advice from his wife, and she asked him three questions: Is everything in the book true? If they do what you say, could it help save the company and the industry? If you don’t write it, will anyone else bring this up? Based on Clifton’s responses to these three questions, the couple agreed that he should publish the book. 

“It was challenging,” Clifton said. “I’m a Christian, so I believe that God had prepared me for this growing up in a foster home. If you've followed my path, it was pretty rough coming up. It was no shortcut to the executive suite. It was a hard knock. You build up your resiliency. And it taught you that God is who he says he is.

He continued, “I just believe that God was there, that he was talking to me and that he wanted me to do it now. I didn't really want to do it. I mean, I didn't want to jeopardize my career. But I also believed that logically I'd come to the thing that they weren't going to fix. So, if I didn't do it, nobody would do it.”

Clifton published the book, sent a copy to the company’s new CEO, and went on vacation to a running camp in the mountains. While at the camp, Clifton got a voicemail from the CEO. Clifton was so worried that he waited until midnight to return the call. He said wanted to at least finish his vacation before he got fired. 

But, much to his surprise, the CEO wanted to talk. 

The two agreed to meet at a private location, away from the office, where the CEO came with nearly 50 pages of notes about Clifton’s book. He wanted to hear Clifton’s perspective and get his advice. The two met many times over the upcoming years, and Clifton never got fired. The company went from having less than 30 days of working capital, to being profitable with billions of dollars in the bank. Then, Clifton retired from the company. 

“I don't believe I saved the company,” Clifton said. “But I believe I helped.”

Six months ago, the (now former) CEO asked to talk to Clifton again. 

“We FaceTimed,” Clifton said. “And you know, he's got a gazillion dollars, literally a billionaire. But he said, ‘I wanted to tell you, I appreciate you helping me and all the things you did.’” 

The CEO said that when he thinks about that company, he thinks about two people - the owner and Clifton, because Clifton was honest with him when no one else would be.  

After leaving the company, Clifton now spends his time on the projects that interest him. 

“I wrote two more books,” Clifton said. “I went out and gave over 300 speeches. I ran a jewelry company in New York for two years, which had lost money for seven years, and we were profitable in six months. I ran an oil company for a year. We just recently started making virtual reality Christian video games. And if something else comes up, I might do that.”

Clifton offers this advice for those just starting their careers:

“Truth is very important, and you have to find it,” Clifton said. “Growing up at the group home, I had a lot of people that were servant leaders that taught me real integrity. They believed in what they were doing, and they followed their moral compass. Because they did what they did, Charles and I could do what we did.”

He continued, “There's a guiding force built within everybody of what we should do and not do. And sometimes based on the information we get or the situation and the circumstances, we know what we should do, and we just decide not to do it. But we’re all the masters of our own ship, and at any time we can start making the right decisions.

Clifton has navigated many stormy seas. But through his faith, support system and close relationship with his brother, Clifton was able to sail his ship in a new direction. 

“People used to ask me what my book was about,” Clifton said. “Every book I write has the same thing. If you do the right thing at the right time for the right motivation, you'll get the right results. But more importantly, you earn the right to expect others to do the same.”