# Think Fast! The CEO is ringing your desk phone! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336 "2008-05-14T20:52:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/1 "2008-05-14T20:52:58Z")
Ring, Ring! You look at the display on your phone and it shows the name of your CEO or company president. You have four rings before it goes to voicemail. Do you answer it? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/2 "2008-05-14T20:53:57Z")
Of course. Why wouldn’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/3 "2008-05-14T20:55:26Z")
Of course. I let it ring twice before answering, though. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/4 "2008-05-14T20:58:05Z")
And 4 rings to voicemail is too short: make it 6 or 8. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/5 "2008-05-14T21:03:17Z")
Of course. She’s probably calling to see if I have any student speakers for this year’s Optimist contest. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/6 "2008-05-14T21:07:52Z")
Of course. Why wouldn’t I? ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/7 "2008-05-14T21:08:19Z")
Yes, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/8 "2008-05-14T21:09:10Z")
Well in my case it would be the Permanent Secretary, and seeing as we’re on first name terms the conversation would probably go like this: “Hi David, this is a pleasant surprise. How can I help you?” And I’d mean it (the surprised bit) as he would have entirely bypassed four levels of hierarchy in calling me. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/9 "2008-05-14T21:09:44Z")
Yes. Pete will hunt me down anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/10 "2008-05-14T21:09:55Z")
I would answer in the same way I answer every other call. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/11 "2008-05-14T21:11:44Z")
[QUOTE=Tupug Anachi] Yes. Pete will hunt me down anyway. [/QUOTE] “Hello, Tupug. This is Pete. Please sit very still now. This will only… take… a… second…” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/12 "2008-05-14T21:11:53Z")
Why am I calling myself? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/13 "2008-05-14T21:16:46Z")
You need to ask yourself to grab a gallon of milk on the way home from work. Yep, I’d answer. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/14 "2008-05-14T21:17:14Z")
“Did you dial the right extension?” ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/15 "2008-05-14T21:30:09Z")
Yes, because if I don’t answer she’ll call every other extension downstairs until someone picks up. Then she will wonder why they can’t answer the question that she wanted to ask me. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/16 "2008-05-14T21:39:13Z")
Definitely. If I don’t he’ll just page me: “\*\*Gfactor \*\* 111!” (“111” is really his extension.) And it’s not like I’m afraid of him. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/17 "2008-05-14T21:40:16Z")
Of course how else do you expect me to get promoted to vice president of doing nothing. But seriously I’d treat it like any other work call turn off music first then wait two rings. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/18 "2008-05-14T21:41:52Z")
Although it will almost always mean that I have to drop whatever I’m doing and run out to take care of Project X (I’ve been called by the CEO’s right-hander multiple times at work before), I would still definitely answer it. E-mail? Just enough time to compose something well thought out that covers the bases that need covering, but it wouldn’t be the same sense of urgency (unless the e-mail said to call ASAP). ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/19 "2008-05-14T21:58:11Z")
Sure…between all the buyouts, mergers and other assorted nonsense, I haven’t known who our CEO is for the past two years. Hard to avoid someone’s call if you don’t know who you’re avoiding. However, if you trace things up the chain high enough, you’ll eventally get to Rupert Murdoch, and yeah, I’d answer. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336/20 "2008-05-14T21:59:51Z")
Oh, hell no. She can leave me a voice mail just like everyone else! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-fast-the-ceo-is-ringing-your-desk-phone/449336.md?page=2)