# Do you know what your CEO looks like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188 "2010-02-16T12:23:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/41 "2010-02-16T18:46:35Z")
It’s a lot harder than you think to recognize people out of context. Sure, you see a picture of your CEO on your website every day. Would you recognize him without a suit on, wearing a baseball cap, no perfectly coiffed hair, in bad lighting? Just consider how often you see someone you know from work at the grocery store, and it takes a minute for it to click who it is when they’re out of context. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Real_Regency_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/42 "2010-02-16T20:03:58Z")
If he were walking around my building unannounced I might not recognize him as he looks an awful lot like many of the men working here. As we have about 400K people worldwide and I’m at one site out of many (albeit a large one), the chances of him walking around here unannounced are about as likely as me getting my pay cut rescinded. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/43 "2010-02-16T20:30:45Z")
Yup, I know what he looks like. He comes out on the floor every so often to chat. My supervisor will always be like “[name of CEO] is in the building, so be on your best behavior!!” but he’s pretty chill with us. I mean, I wouldn’t be horsing around or anything in front of him, but I don’t have to be robotic, either. This also means I’d recognize him if he was on the floor. Most of the floor staff here are dressed somewhat casually, but still dressy enough to be professional. He’d be dressing down, but not by much. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/44 "2010-02-16T20:54:11Z")
Our old director once went to a branch and they thought he was a carpet sales rep, so after that they put his picture up on the website. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kingfisher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc8723/32.png) [@Kingfisher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingfisher)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/45 "2010-02-16T22:51:35Z")
Yes, I see him and meet with him often (company size = 550 employees). My first job out of college was with a Fortune 500 company. One day I was leaving work early and as I was driving through the parking lot, the CEO pulled out in front of me. There was a glare on his window so I couldn’t see who he was and flipped him off. As the car moved the glare subsided and I saw who he was. Apparently he just thought I was waving, because he waved back. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/46 "2010-02-16T23:05:15Z")
Our school district has 1000+ employees, and I know not only every member of the school board by sight, but one or two are friends of mine. I also know the Superintendent fairly well, as she was my VP once upon a time. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/47 "2010-02-17T00:38:07Z")
I’ve been working at HQ for a year, and I only recently started recognizing who he was. Even now I recognize him through the reactions of the people around me, rather than him per se. If I met him on the street I wouldn’t know him from Adam. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/48 "2010-02-17T02:06:44Z")
We only have about 20 employees where I work now, but when I worked at Amazon I would most definitely recognize the CEO. I think pretty much anyone in Seattle would. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/49 "2010-02-17T02:07:03Z")
The company I work for has about 70K employees worldwide, and I definitely know the CEO. I’ve worked here long enough, and so has he, that I’d recognize him pretty much anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/50 "2010-02-17T02:08:57Z")
Haven’t a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/51 "2010-02-17T02:42:03Z")
I’m sure that everyone who works here knows what he looks like. I caught the lift up with him this morning - we were both coming back from Ash Wednesday mass. > [@JSexton](#): > > Would you recognize him without a suit on, wearing a baseball cap, no perfectly coiffed hair, in bad lighting? Definitely yes. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/52 "2010-02-17T04:21:12Z")
120 employees. Absolutely. Previous company: 100-200 employees. Absolutely, again. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/53 "2010-02-17T04:44:28Z")
Yeah, I would recognize my CEO. He just won the America’s Cup. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/54 "2010-02-17T04:45:58Z")
Do I know my CEO? If I care to I could sleep in his bed, fuck his girlfriend, drink his booze, put my feet up on his desk, and he wouldn’t say shit! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/55 "2010-02-17T05:22:36Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > [He’s the one without the pointy ears.](http://kellogg.northwestern.edu/centennial/images/spiffs/alumni/Gregg-Steinhafel.jpg) > > Just guessing, since you mentioned Minnesota and retail. 😛 > > As for my CEO, he appears to be Mr. Interchangeable Corporate Honcho. The only way I’d ever recognize him in the real world would be if he was introduced or announced. We’re approximately the 12th largest non-government employer in the US, so any one person can easily get lost in the mob. Oh man, you cracked my code!!! Also, according the posters in the break room, I wouldn’t doubt that Spot (yes that is his name) was our CEO… ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/56 "2010-02-17T05:30:01Z")
Missed the edit window… Stupid me…his name is Bullseye… ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/57 "2010-02-17T05:31:05Z")
Multi post. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/58 "2010-02-17T23:42:31Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Allow me. > > Our CEO makes fairly regular rounds of the hospital to say hi and see how everyone’s doing. She stayed through the night shift during the snowstorm here last week, and manned the 4WD hotline for a while. We have quarterly “state of the hospital” addresses with question periods, and since attendance is high at those events, and they span all shifts, I’d say a very good number of employees would recognize her. > > I can’t say I’d necessarily stop for a coffee with her if I saw her at a Starbucks, but I’d recognize her and at least say hi on my way out. My former CEO (Director, actually, since it’s a non-profit) is a slim, attractive, immaculately dressed woman - three things you don’t see too often in my neck of the woods, so it caught my eye the first time I saw her. I recognize her, but never spoken personally to her. I do believe she knew me, however. A superb fundraiser, she is. Keeps the place afloat much better than her predecessor. Total employees, maybe 400ish? ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/59 "2010-02-17T23:56:21Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > The new show Undercover Boss has me wondering, for those of you who work in companies of 100+, do you know what your CEO looks like? Have you met him in person? Do you know him only by his official photo? If you walked by him on the street, would there be a flash of recognition? Or do you have absolutely no clue how he looks? Hrm. I work for the state, so…I think I’d recognize the Terminator if he came walking through, yep. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188/60 "2010-02-18T01:09:18Z")
Yup. He made it a point to wander around the office and introduce himself to everyone on his first day. He’s got an office with a big window near the reception desk, so when he’s in town, you see him working. There’s also a picture of him in our company newsletters. The head of HR dressed up as him for Halloween. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-your-ceo-looks-like/529188.md?page=2)