Unless you’ve been living under a rock for a while now, you’d probably have to be aware that most chief executive officers prize profits over people. But money and the power it affords aren’t merely the focus of Confessions of a CEO: My Life in an Out-of-Balance World. Instead, co-director/subject Tom Gegax and co-director Eric Gardner offer us a glimpse at the ruthlessness that fuels corporate America, together with the parallel tale of how Gegax gained the entire world and lost his soul, then fought hard to change the game and even that score.
Yes, early in his career, Gegax sold his soul to the company store. That is, until his health was on the fritz, his family was falling apart, and life at its best couldn’t be shittier. So, Gegax looked for a change — a new approach. The first step was the freedom to do things his way. Starting Tires Plus, a retail tire sales company in the late 1970s, he cornered the market and quickly found success. Soon, however, he realized that to be a true success, he first had to work on himself. Gegax couldn’t be a good leader without first finding out how to be a good person.
The friendship and teachings of self-help and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra aided in finding the balance between work, life, mind, body, and spirit, which was essential to a better understanding of himself. But the real breakthrough came when Gegax employed what he had learned in his personal quest to his professional journey. Treating people like they matter, both employees and customers, changed the game completely. The system Gegax pieced together from all of his experience formed the basis from which he would step out of his corporate leadership role and into the business advisor, public speaker, and author he is today.
“Gegax couldn’t be a good leader without first finding out how to be a good person.”
Though Confessions of a CEO: My Life in an Out-of-Balance World is, in this aspect, a self-portrait, where Gegax and Gardner take the story, examining corporate structures, influence, and ideology, along with how it shapes the world, is truly eye-opening. The extent to which a company will overlook human collateral damage in favor of keeping the shareholders appeased is mind-boggling.
It seems ironic, then, that Gegax’s message and methodology are, in fact, the antithesis of that which is investigated and displayed in terms of corporate policy and procedure. The fact that this man went through hell and managed to come out the other side clean and enlightened is also quite confounding. Taking the big business playbook and turning it in on itself, treasuring everything it seems intent on trashing, and turning that into a recipe for success is monumentally impressive.
Gegax lays himself bare in this picture. Exposing the flaws in himself to show how the other half gets to the top of the tree is courageous. One might chuckle, thinking, “Well, it’s easy for you; you’re a rich man?” But what Confessions of a CEO: My Life in an Out-of-Balance World ultimately leaves you with is a stark contrast, showcasing the price you pay to attain success at the highest levels, and the toll that exudes on the individual. You might think you’re just a drop in the ocean, but without you, the wheel doesn’t spin, no matter how small and insignificant you believe you are. This picture shows us we all matter, and success and money aren’t mutually exclusive. Plus, we should never forsake or stake our humanity for profit.
"…shows us we all matter..."
