In his hilarious debut boo gifted and comedic Tom Stern, creator of the nationally syndicated radio show Opportunity Knocks and cartoon strip CEO DAD, offers readers a primer on how to overcome workaholism, over-ambition, and success-overdrive – to prevent losing what’s most valuable in life: family, friends, and one's own humanity.

Stern recounts his own tale – from super riches to rags; his battle with ADD and insecurities; his need to be in complete control – of everything; plus, his attempts to live up to the cosmic expectations of a mega-rich family and its CEO heritage: His great grandfather built Sears & Roebuck into a retail giant; his father pioneered and led in the early cable industry.

The book underscores what is perhaps the single most pervasive plague of our time: Success Addiction. While therapists, human relations gurus, and business experts have written much about workaholism, work/life balance, and burnout, Stern’s contribution offers a humorous story of one man’s personal struggle to turn his life around and change his CEO Dad habit, soon after his wife and daughters suddenly announced to him that they have “fired him.”

In CEO DAD, Stern pokes fun at the seemingly ubiquitous CEO Dad-itude in the workplace, persisting among both men and women. Rene Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am,” but Descartes never envisioned the CEO Dad of the future interpreting that quote to mean: “I think, therefore I’m right.” The key to understanding the CEO Dad -- someone who misunderstands priorities, works too hard at the expense of personal relationships or, as Stern puts it, "insults hotel clerks loudly enough for everyone in the lobby to think they’re an important person." The truth is, Stern says, it’s hard to find balance in a society that promotes compulsive behavior. We fill our emptiness with addictive needs – whether it is food, alcohol, exercise, or ambition – and wind up running in unrelenting circles. CEO Dads all operate under the false assumption that they are in control. However, Stern reveals that this is only an illusion. The sad truth is, he writes, when it comes to family, "if you treat them like stocks, you don’t get bonds."

Anyone who has ever wondered how to gain real control in one’s life and real success in both realms – family and career – will find CEO DAD a revelation – if only one can stop laughing long enough to learn!  Stern’s take-away thoughts at the end of each chapter include:

• Great achievements do not necessarily make you a great human being. Go ahead, find a cure for cancer. But if you leave a wet towel clumped in the corner of the bathroom, you’re still going down.
• Become aware of your relentless pursuit of material goods in an effort to make up for what is lacking in your life. “Relentless pursuit” does not include the purchase of my book.
• Paying more attention to your kids and how they respond to the lessons you’re handing down will eventually mean one thing: You’re busted.
• Trying to control the outcome of every single situation is a foolhardy endeavor and tantamount to playing God. Then again, you could pick a worse role model.
• It is never too late to start over. Okay, maybe not never. Say, like you’re 89 years old. It’s probably okay to coast at that point.
• The truth is, you don’t have to stop being a success to be balanced. What an incredible relief, right?

 REVIEWS:

“Thanks a lot for CEO Dad.  I really enjoyed it, very clever idea.  Hope to see more of it in the future.”                                                                               --Jay Leno

“Tom Stern helps us laugh our way to the revolution – and revelation –that dads can be just as loving and nurturing as moms; indeed, that men who try it live longer and don’t get fired by their families.  For any man suffering from corporate testosterone-poisoning, in general, and the CEO dad syndrome in particular, prescribe this dose of learning-through laughter.”

                                                                                              -- Gloria Steinem

Tom Stern has been a performer, a developer of comedy programming for HBO, and president of Spotlite Enterprises, an agency for comedians. He eventually achieved great success in the same corporate world his father and great grandfather inhabited – as CEO of a leading search firm, Stern Executive Search, with clients ranging from PriceWaterhouseCoopers to Sony Studios. Over time, however, Stern realized his workaholic attitude was becoming much like his father’s. His nationally syndicated comic strip CEO Dad (NY Times called it “the Microsoft of business comic strips) and radio show Opportunity Knocks (with guests such as Jay Leno and Joan Rivers), is a creative and successful expression of that epiphany.

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