Press Room

"The corner office has become symbolic of high performance and success," says author and former CEO Lamar Smith. "It's an office that men and women all over the world strive to occupy." "The CEO is the modern equivalent of royalty and the corner office is the "throne room."

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN THE CORNER OFFICE: (McGraw-Hill; April 2009), explores the relationship between a young, driven, narcissistic investment banker and a down-to-earth, successful older CEO who meet by a fortunate twist of fate. This touching story is about a young man whose life is out of control. His career entirely consumes him as he focuses solely on acquiring the brass ring, losing sight of what's truly important to the point that he is separated from the woman he loves and on the brink of divorce. Initially dismissed by the young man as old and past his prime, the CEO takes him under his wing and shares the hard life lessons that he himself learned on the road to success.

Lamar Smith believes that our quest for the ‘corner office' in its many forms starts early, fueled by the gold star the teacher passes out for outstanding achievement. "By the time we're grown, we are so conditioned to achieving and to pursuing the ever-elusive gold star that our lives become unbalanced and our true purpose and power are lost." Smith wrote the parable based on his own life, mirroring his experience and observations as he traveled from young military officer in Viet Nam to a seasoned CEO of an international financial services company.

In THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN THE CORNER OFFICE, the author contends that Americans have become consumed by greed and hubris, asking readers to consider whether they are leading the best life possible with joy and confidence, or just caught up in the rat race, in a single-minded quest for achievement in just one aspect of life. While people vow to change, they often don't, keeping them "passengers on the journey of life, letting events and relationships enter and exit without much conscious thought or planning about what happens next."

Through his mentorship and wisdom, the CEO skillfully and respectfully forces the young executive to look long and hard at the consequences of running away from problems and being overly focused on career. The student learns that it is not about lowering your sights, but about achieving your ‘own corner office' while balancing physical, intellectual, emotional, financial, and spiritual well-being enabling and empowering sustained high performance in all important areas of life.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Lamar Smith is a first generation college graduate who was a successful entrepreneur as he put himself through school. After college he entered the Air Force where he was a highly decorated attack pilot who flew 114 combat missions. For 15years he was the CEO of First Command Financial Services, a retail brokerage firm with more than 300,000 clients and he is currently the chairman of a non-profit organization and director of Torchmark, Inc. He and his family reside in Texas. Tammy King is a business writer whose books include The Transparent Leader with Herb Baum, former CEO of Dial.

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN THE CORNER OFFICE The Secret to Total Life Prosperity; McGraw-Hill; April 2009; ISBN: 10: 0-07-160930-X; 13: 978-0-07-160930-2; Cloth; $17.95