The Good CEO Summary:

There is an old story about the successful businessman who showed up at St. Peter's gate full of pride and arrogance at all that he had accomplished. "Just look all I've done," he said, "I've built four companies from scratch, all hugely profitable. I've had Presidents call me for advice. I've climbed the tallest mountain and put my flag on it. I've won three golf tournaments and I even married a world-famous model." "Sure," said St. Peter, "But when was the last time you called your mom?"

Priorities and Fulfillment. While sometimes our priorities lead to material success, they don't always lead to a meaningful or fulfilled life. The Good CEO is about identifying those priorities so that a person may achieve true and lasting fulfillment. This work is short, and is intended to be a simple, yet thought provoking, book for both business people and non-business people.

If you were to review the popular business literature over the past decade, you would probably see a trend that began several years ago with Demming's crusade for unconditional quality; a drift from the conventional "make money at all costs"-type thinking toward a wiser, kinder, gentler, holistic world view. We have had Waitley and Ziglar making sure we are working toward an exciting Double Win and we continue to see Covey preaching universal principles of behavior that carry into our business life as well as our personal life. It's almost a New Age of Business. In light of the corporate and accounting game-playing by the likes of Enron, Worldcom, and their CEOs, The Good CEO is extremely timely.

Written in a format similar to The One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese, The Good CEO tells the story of a very successful Chief Executive Officer who has worked so hard at being successful in his professional life, he has all-but forgotten to notice and appreciate those important people, principles, and surroundings that bring real success: fulfillment. An employee of his, just a plain old unremarkable manager, helps him realize how important he is to himself, his family, his employees, the community, and even the planet.

The Good CEO is not "preachy", nor does it strive to be self-important. The story is told in a simple fashion. Metaphors are abundant and several meanings may be taken from the different situations. However, the story works on several levels at once, and the reader is not required to spend long moments trying to figure out hidden meanings. The goal is to provide simple food for thought and ample opportunity for reflection of the meaning of success.

About the Author:
Robert P. Farrah holds a Masters degree in Management and his undergraduate degree is in Management of Human Resources. Mr. Farrah has worked in the commercial real estate arena for almost twenty years in the business of managing and leasing shopping malls, office buildings, and other commercial real estate projects. He also has extensive experience in the hands-on management of retail businesses. He currently serves as C.O.O. of a commercial real estate firm. He is 44 years old, married, and has two teen-age children. He lives in a suburb of Oklahoma City.