In September, insurance giant AIG became the latest high-profile corporation to bestow the additional title of chairman on its CEO, Peter Zaffino. 

 

“The AIG board of directors has great confidence in Peter’s ability to continue executing on AIG’s transformation and growth strategy designed to create long-term, sustainable value,” the board’s then-nonexecutive chairman, Douglas Steenland, said in a statement.

 

 

“Editor,” derived from the Latin edere (to produce or bring forth), may well be the most ambiguous word in the English language. It can signify anything from the eagle-eyed proofreader who fixes typos to the visionary who works through others to create brand-new, world-changing intellectual capital. The thread is selflessness; the ideal editor helps others shine. 

 

The scenario: A health diagnostic company’s product strategy is to “fake it till you make it,” its employees are expressing concerns over leadership and a multimillion-dollar distribution deal puts bad data in the hands of patients. Any one of these offenses should have had people crying foul and asking, “Where is the board?” But three such transgressions? Almost inconceivable.