4763 Who's In Charge Here?

 

Chief Executive Officer. Executive editor. Executive producer. Executive vice president. Executive chef. What do they all do? And who can you turn to for a decision?

 TV EP used to be the top guy. Then they started naming deputies with the same title.  There was a fistful of executive producers.  Then no one knew who was really in charge, so they named a chief executive producer called a “showrunner.” 

When they name deputies -- and they will, eventually -- they’ll also call them showrunners?” Maybe “deputy showrunners.” Then they’ll have to re-name the original showrunner as -- ready for this? -- Executive Show Runner.

In some publications, the top newsperson is called the executive editor and his or her #2 is the managing editor.

 But in some it’s the other way around, Managing first, then executive.

 Whatever happened to plain-old editor?  Now that person is called the editor-in-chief, a title that formerly applied almost exclusively to high school student newspapers and yearbooks.

 The top person in a store used to be called the manager.  But some places had too many, just like the TV shows.  So they invented a new title, Managing Director.  Or sometimes General Manager.  

We’re waiting for someone to become an Executive General Manager, to whom the General Manager reports, and then there will have to be a Colonel Manager. Unless it’s on a cruise ship which no doubt will have to use naval nomenclature in which case the second in command will be called the Commander…. Who will have a Lieutenant Commander. 

A ship can’t have an Executive Commander.  So the top guy will have to be named “Captain” which is not the same as a captain on dry land who is much lower in the pecking order, food chain, chain of command, or evolutionary roll out.

 What does the Executive Chef do?  Well, that job has an actual function. It requires creating recipes, menu items and system designs.  Sometimes they even cook stuff.  But not routinely.

Some chain restaurants have Executive Dish supervisors. Their job is to turn on the machinery that cleans the used dishes and sometimes washing a dish especially when the machine breaks down and the floor is flooded.

 Many of these executive functions could be done remotely during the pandemic.

 Executive Dish supervisors could not.  They tried.  It didn’t work. Of course, at that time it didn’t much matter because dining in a restaurant had become an impossible dream.

 Chief Executive Officers by the carload worked from home.  The one thing they couldn’t do -- and this was an important part of the job back before Covid -- disappear from the office inexplicably and without notice or warning.

 Like everything else including cement, the designation “executive” has been diluted.  Which brings us back to our original question: Who’s in charge here.

 I’m Wes Richards, executive typist. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

Any Questions?  wesrichards@gmail.com I’ll have an executive get back to you ASAP. And your call is very important to us. 

© WR 2021