Every election time we see dozens of political candidates trying to showcase the CEO or the Chairman of the Board as the quintessential enemy of the people. This year it’s Hillary and Donald who are providing us with all the reasons that CEOs shouldn’t be making the money that they make, despite the fact that both of them DO make that money.
Every candidate and in fact many other people–including many workers, feel that the CEO is making too much money. They feel so most probably because they aren’t making an amount near that figure, but they dont’ look at the worth of the CEO in the overall scheme of things. They also fail to note that the CEO is paid based on merit and experience–something that a capitalist system allows and even encourages–and that their salaries are set by the Board of Directors or the chairman who looks closely at their work to determine what they are worth.
That’s right, the bottom line is that the CEO doesn’t set their own salary. The company does that and the reason they do pay so well is that the CEO provides leadership, and guidance for the company. They view the worth of the person at the helm, what they have given and have to give to the company and they pay based on that.
It’s a cinch that the CEO of a fast food restaurant should be making just a little more than the guy behind the fryer. Managing any company, regardless of the size is hard work. It’s difficult on the best day and it requires good skills and good decision making as well as a fair amount of experience, expertise and education in the area in which they are employed.
Compensation for that should be more than the general person working behind the counter. Anyone who says it isn’t is foolish at best and posturing at worst. The value of the CEO is in their experience and the expertise that keeps the remainder of the company employees working by making those good decisions for the company. In a technology arena, the value of the CEO is immeasurable. They offer innovation and motivation to the company as a whole.
Comparing their compensation to a person with no college and no experience who operates a cash register is silly at best. All of that is not to say that the CEO and the company doesn’t care about the workers. Most do care and they pay fairly. Workers do have a family to feed and they do require a certain pay scale in order to accomplish that, but by no means should they be paid the same as the person who spent years of their life and cultivated the education and experience to guide the company.
The CEO takes the company and the workers to new heights. The CEO keeps the company in business and churning out bigger and better products and services. With that fact in mind, not only should the CEO be making a great deal of money, but in some cases–particularly in technology sectors– they should be seeking or asking for a slightly larger piece of the pie.
What’s more, the very good, very productive CEO, will quite likely get it.
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