The Complicity of CEOs
Tags: Business Ethics, Growth, CEO, Profit, Business

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Worrier — I don’t like that business. Its unethical

Arguer — Me too. But, which other business is ethical?

W — You’re right. No business is clean

A — Yea, just mind your own business

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1. The Advertising Agency CEO

Perhaps the most complicit. She magnifies & exaggerates. She entices through hyperboles. She often lies. People can seldom resist her charms. She sells all kinds of things to everyone who seldom need those things, often luring people with inexistent fancy bells and whistles, catchy visuals, snappy slogans, greedy celebrities, impossible dreams, unaffordable credit, etc., often exploiting people’s emotions like fear, envy, disgust, joy & sorrow. She awakens unknown desires and thrives on people consuming themselves. Other CEOs seek her company. Once a year, she devoutly promotes a social cause, at her own cost, to boost her public image. She is most critical to the food chain, even though she doesn’t get the lion’s share. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘hypocrisy’. Mother of all slayers.

2. The Social Media CEO

He is the big gorilla who eats all. He builds digital platforms whose hungry tentacles reach all corners. He thrives on the energies of people who feel their own energies are multiplied by their association with him. He sucks people’s attention, gets them addicted to fleeting adrenaline surges so they forget other more important/urgent matters. Other CEOs feed his hunger, hoping to pick up some crumbs. He bends people to his will. Many cannot live without him. No one can stop him. Even big governments need him. Big courts are drawn into endless debates on his true motives. He often grabs the lion’s share.

3. The Tech CEO

The Shaman & Prophet. Her every word is lapped up by other CEOs. Her every action is watched avidly. She looks into the future and performs magic. People eagerly await her next show and don’t mind paying up. She supercharges the hunting capabilities of other CEOs and claims she is indispensable. She dates all kinds of CEOs who revel in her company, until its too late for them to realise she has been a leech. She wears out people, but they don’t seem to notice it. Everyone fetes her, in her short life. A sharp hunter with a bazooka.

4. The (traditional) Media CEO

He had to step aside to accommodate the SM CEO, his bete noire. But he retains a sharp bite. Many other CEOs still court him for his reach and ability to magnify what they want to say & do. People believe what he says, and he says all sorts of things. He is often desperate in his attempt to regain lost glory, firing unpredictably and indiscriminately. This old slayer still kills well.

5. The Resources CEO

She’s the dinosaur who digs deep to find the gold the world lusts for. She’s been around for a long time and seen everything. She knows all the tricks, is often slow, but is a big killer nevertheless. Most other CEOs need her, directly or indirectly. People often don’t realise what she is upto, until she pulls the rug from below their feet. She plays the long game.

6. The Basic Services CEO

He provides and also bites. He is a smooth talker & slick operator. People need him. Their daily lives depend on him. And he exploits them. He often doesn’t kill the golden goose. He cultivates it. He also rears sheep, goats & other cattle, domesticates, milks & hunts them for pleasure & profit. The plumber who nibbles at the foundations.

7. The Financial Services CEO

The suave hunter who kills by ingratiating. She boldly hunts other CEOs, and is often successful. She also hunts people for collateral benefits. She beguiles other CEOs & people into thinking they need her for their own success. She shoots herself in the foot on a regular basis and eager governments bend over backwards to bail her out. She hunts in various disguises and is a sharp shooter.

8. The Social Services CEO

He cries wolf and people listen. He pities the people attacked by other CEOs. He even fights other CEOs, but later sidles up to them with his begging bowl. Other CEOs don’t seem to mind and even date him to spruce up their own images. He often distorts the game by tampering with the spotlights, mixing up issues and confusing people. He courts all kinds of CEOs who often take him for a ride. His inadvertent & collateral kills are often substantial.

9. The Political CEO

She has been around forever. She kills en masse. The masses don’t realise her threat. They are enticed by her oratory prowess and become blind fans. She excites, rouses, stirs and kills. She partners CEOs of all hues and drops them like a hot potato when the situation demands it. Other CEOs enjoy riding on her coattails for their own hunting jaunts. Perhaps, historically, she has been the most successful hunter.

10. The Religious CEO

He is as old as the Political CEO. They often hunt together. He often sounds & looks mystical, appeals to people’s deepest insecurities who flock to him in droves to eventually get suckered and butchered. Other confused CEOs are attracted to him. He goads them into different directions and they feel blessed in his presence. He is an astute climber and often beats other CEOs at their own games. He preaches, consoles, lulls and kills. Historically, his spoils have been vehemently denied and covered up.

11. The Consulting CEO

A smart & powerful hunter. She predominantly hunts in the elite circle of other CEOs and is rarely spotted by lesser people. All kinds of CEOs unsuspectingly invite her to help hone their own hunting skills and, often, its too late when they realise they have become prey. Glib, attractive and well-armed with inscrutable new-age weapons, she wrecks havoc.

12. The Manufacturing CEO

Another hunter who kills en masse. He makes people crave, and then pounces on them. He entwines himself into people’s lives. They can’t let him go. They can’t ignore him. He is unsparing and relentless. Even other CEOs are compelled to court him. He hunts & kills, steadily.

13. The Mixed Bag CEO

A dangerous modern animal who wears many hats. A many-in-one CEO brandishing a swiss army knife. She not only dons the garb of many other CEOs, but is also skilled at playing many games. People once sucked into her orbit can never escape. Other CEOs fear her. But, she is also a fascinating and rare breed. She holds everyone in her aura and her hunting talents are recounted in awe.

14. Other Lesser CEOs

These are the aspiring, up & coming lot. They look up to the above bigger & more successful CEOs. They often blindly copy, follow & hunt like their chosen heroes. They often fail, but don’t give up. Their smaller & scattered kills run into millions.

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Reformer — Is there anything like ’10 commandments for CEOs’?

A — There should be

W — Even if we got one, how to enforce that?

R — You got a point

A — But, that shouldn’t stop us from creating one

W — Yes, but who will do it?

Commentator — Yes, someone should do it

R — Let me try

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10 Commandments for CEOs

1. Thou shall not sell, advertise or promote

Corollary — Thrive only on word of mouth

2. Thou shall not grow beyond means.

Corollary — Avoid debt

3. Allow thou actions to talk

Corollary — Shun fame & glory

4. Thou shall earn less than other CEOs

Corollary — Shun wealth

5. Thou shall serve

Corollary — Don’t boss around

6. Thou shall avoid other CEOs

Corollary — Don’t collude and conspire

7. Thou shall quickly retire & disappear

Corollary — You are neither indispensable nor immortal

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A — Only 7?

W — Will it work?

C — Who knows?

R — Lets start with these…

The CEOs — F..K the Commandments

People — “ “