• Job: "Abraham Lincoln," Sandy Springs

Karl W. Ritzler/Special (ENLARGE)

Gene Griesman sculpted this bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln, whom he calls the ultimate success story.

Photo courtesy of Gene Griesman (ENLARGE)

Gene Griesman speaks aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when it was docked near Seattle. Griesman used to apply a false beard with spirit gum, but eventually he grew a real one because it became irritating to don the beard repeatedly.

• What I do: "Abe Lincoln was an astonishingly good salesperson," Gene Griesman said.

He portrays Lincoln as he delivers motivational, inspirational and even historical speeches, in the form of a one-man play, mostly at corporate gatherings.

The former sociology professor, 73, said Lincoln convinced the North that the Union was worth saving despite the high cost of the war.

He said he differs from Lincoln impersonators and look-alikes in that he has "turned Lincoln into an inspirational speaker," delivering a message about leadership and achievement.

"He is, arguably, the best success story," Griesman said. He noted Lincoln's ascent from a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House — and from a self-taught student to the author of two speeches widely regarded as the best ever written: the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural speech.

"I've studied what makes people highly successful in their careers," Griesman said. He distilled what he learned into what he calls achievement factors, and "that led to my professional speaking career on what made people successful." He began speaking as himself and later started appearing as Lincoln.

For a time, Griesman was host of "Up Close," an interview program on TBS, in which he talked with celebrities and other successful people.

Last year, Griesman made about 50 appearances as Lincoln all over North America. He has spoken in Charleston, S.C., where the first shots of the Civil War were fired; at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln was assassinated; and aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

His performances are often banquet addresses or keynotes to client-appreciation gatherings, conventions and other business or association events. He also speaks at schools.

"I have crafted [my Lincoln] so it delivers a message to business-related audiences" about what people today can learn from Lincoln, such as his ability to communicate by using stories and to make persuasive arguments by tailoring those stories to the situation, he said.

He said his friends still wonder if his speeches are "Griesman doing Lincoln or Lincoln doing Griesman."

• What got me interested in this: Griesman was the head of the department of sociology and anthropology at Auburn University when he began interviewing successful people for a public television station in Alabama. He thought the concept would work on commercial television and persuaded TBS owner Ted Turner to begin "Up Close."

While doing television, he maintained his academic positions, first at Auburn and later at Georgia Tech, where he was director of national media relations.

From his interviews with successful people, Griesman began to identify his achievement factors and wrote a book about it. That led to speaking engagements on the topic.

Griesman said he found the best example of a success story in Lincoln, and "I became Lincoln."

He polished his performances by taking acting classes. He began doing Lincoln about 10 years ago, but he has been concentrating on it for the last two or three years.

• Best part of my job: "I am an entertainer," Griesman said. "I love being in a classroom in front of students."

He lists four other pluses: "It's something I can do well. . . . I'm keeping some great ideas alive. . . . It's personally rewarding. . . . It's brought some financial rewards."

Overall, he said, "I get to go to a lot of wonderful places and meet fascinating people. It gives me a chance to keep on growing and learning."

• Most challenging part: "I don't enjoy the administration," Griesman said. "I'm happier if I'm performing."

He also said he still has "to convince the market that a Lincoln portrayal is as valuable as a man coming in and talking about sales."

• What people don't know about my job: "How hard it is to be good," Griesman said.

He wrote and memorized his one-man play. "An actor's craft is to do it so it doesn't seem to be acting. I have reached the point [that], when I do Lincoln, I'm not acting like Lincoln — I am Lincoln."

• What keeps me going: "The habit of doing the best you know how. That will sustain you," Griesman said.

• Preparation needed for this job: Griesman spent a career in academia, studying sociology and specializing in examining success. He has been a professor or department head at Auburn, North Carolina State University, the College of William and Mary, and Georgia Tech. He also was a Fulbright scholar in Pakistan.

To prepare to portray Lincoln, he took acting classes at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He has written several books about success and about Lincoln as well as the script for his performance.

Griesman has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, a master's degree in religion and sociology from Baylor University in Texas, a theological degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in sociology from Louisiana State University.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.