One of the most coveted titles in the world of work might actually be “Chief”, if we go by the numbers. Chief Executive Officer. Chief Operating Officer. Chief Marketing Officer. Chief Information Officer. Chief Technology Officer. Chief This. Chief That. So many Chiefs. Too few Indians. Sounds like Humpty Dumpty, if you ask me.

An Army is in trouble if it doesn’t have enough Privates to do the real soldiering. It is in trouble when Privates are viewed with distaste as being the scum of the earth. It is in trouble when nobody wants to be a Private even for a limited period of a few years. It is in trouble when its officers become corpulent, not necessarily just physically, and are more concerned with form than function. It is in trouble when its officers do not lay down their lives without hesitation for their Privates, because they love them. It is in trouble when Privates take the brunt of the blame for wrongdoings that have really been perpetrated by their officers. Does this sound familiar? Does it sound, oddly enough, like the organization you work in? Does it sound like the organization you are heading?

Perhaps it’s just me. Perhaps there aren’t any correlations when similarities are observed. Let’s hope so.