Communications Teams Still Reporting to CEOs—And Here’s Why That’s a Red Flag

Let’s cut through the LinkedIn kumbaya nonsense: last week’s poll of over a hundred comms professionals showed a predictable outcome. Most want their communications function to report directly to the CEO. Wow, what a shocker. You’d almost think comms people enjoy the illusion of influence without the accountability that comes with real power.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody on that thread wanted to admit: reporting to the CEO is only as good as the CEO’s actual buy-in. In the real world—yes, outside your Friday afternoon Slack channel—the CEO is often too busy golfing in the Hamptons or prepping for the next investor roadshow to give comms more than a passing glance. The result? Comms gets a seat at the table, but zero leverage to push change when the C-suite starts leaking strategic nonsense to the press.

The real reason people want that seat isn’t strategic alignment—it’s insulation. Reporting to Marketing means you might have to show, you know, results. Reporting to Legal means your day is a Kafkaesque parade of redlines. But the CEO? You get to be a consigliere, pass the buck, and bask in the glow of “executive alignment” without ever being the bad cop.

If you’re running comms and actually want to do your job—crafting narratives that matter, not just rubber-stamping CEO memos—stop pining for the org chart shortcut. Build alliances with product, customer support, and yes, even those misanthropes in Legal. Tie your work to outcomes, not proximity to the power lunch.

Bottom line: Stop fetishizing the reporting line. The only people who care are the ones who think “influence” is a synonym for “doing nothing risky.” You want real impact? Get your hands dirty in the business, or go back to writing press releases that no one reads.