Beyond the Pecking Order
This article originally appeared in CAMPAIGN, May 11, 2022.
At the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit this past December, Elon Musk ruffled the feathers of corporate big wigs by declaring their prestigious titles were made up and meaningless.
“CEO is a made-up title. CFO is a made-up title,” he said with a grin. “They don’t mean anything.” He then announced that he legally filed with the SEC as Techno King. “I did that as kind of a joke because these titles don’t mean a lot,” he said. “And all these other titles are basically just made up.”
Joking aside, Musk is right. Today, there really is no need for a made-up caste system with imperious acronyms like EVP, SVP, COO, CIO, CDO and so on, especially in our industry.
As we emerge from one of the most difficult times in recent history and face unprecedented environmental and social challenges, the last thing a creative industry like ours needs is to reinforce an outdated pecking order. What we do need is a proactive, self-effacing mind-set based not on inflated appearances but on ego-less collaboration, fresh thinking and groundbreaking creativity.
I would like to propose that, as an industry, we banish bureaucratic, corporate and patronizing labels.