If you haven’t worked in a large company, you may not be familiar with how the upper echelons of it’s management think.  To obtain a certain level of control in a large bureaucracy, one must have a certain kind of personality, the kind of personality who doesn’t mind cutting down everyone else to reach the singular goal of making themselves more powerful.  

As the veteran of a few large companies, I can tell you that the common denominator at the top is these guys (and they are mostly guys) believe rules do not apply to them.   Were they like that from the beginning, which helped them get to where they are or did they develop this as they moved up the chain of command in extremely command and control entities, the power and entitlement it grants leading them to believe they live by their own rules?    Does it really matter?  They are where they are, they do what they want and they don’t see limits.  Regulations?  Bah…  change them or find creative ways around them.  Paying what you owe?  When you can expense it to your company?   Come on now.  Firing people who disagree with you?  Goes with the territory.  Expectation of job performance commensurate with ones salary.  You’re funny (note:  they believe they are worth what they are paid, but tell that to anyone in the lower parts of the chain, working like a dog, that it makes sense that the CEO make 10, 20, 100 times more than them).  No matter how bad a CEO messes up, even if they get forced out, they will receive the golden parachute written into their contract. They will walk away with millions, guaranteed.  Even better, they will get another CEO gig.   

Never worked in a large company?  Think you don’t know who I’m talking about?  You do.  They are the person behind you honking when you’re trying to take a left turn, but there is constant oncoming traffic.  They are the person taking a left turn from the far right lane across 2 lanes because who are YOU to be THEIR way?  They will be driving an Audi, BMW, Mercedes… probably an SUV.   They have places to be and they think the rules don’t apply to them.  They are endangering you and your passengers because they don’t give a shit. 

The rules just don’t apply to them.  At least not the same rules that apply to the rest of us.   As a CEO if you don’t like what someone in your organization is doing, you can pull them aside and suggest they ‘let it go’.  Most of the time, whatever it is will be gone because if it isn’t you will be fired or worse, treated viciously badly until you resign, and either way they will bad mouth you in whatever circles they can.  The sense of entitlement this creates, even among those who have shareholders and boards to answer to is staggering.   If I don’t like the rules, I’ll just change them.   Unfortunately for the powerful,, but fortunately for us, the United States is a nation of laws.  Laws can’t just be changed overnight because one of our three branches of government wants it.   Executive Orders can’t change everything.  We do not have a dictatorship, you can’t just go around the other branches of government, (weak though some members of them are).  You can’t run a country like a CEO by just telling everyone what to do and firing those who don’t agree with you (thank you founding fathers, THANK YOU).    There are rules and there are laws in a civilized society.  Let’s hope they are strong enough to withstand a frustrated power broker, not used to not getting his way, not used to working well with others.  I believe we can, but please no more business people as President.