I was afraid that one would sound too arrogant. But, I figured, society frequently implies that management or the CEO are "above" the workers, and everyone seems OK with it. Personally, I want a different mindset, although it's hard to maintain.

It's a great point. The quote I always have in my head at work is from Mr. Wolf in Pulp Fiction. "I'm here to help. If my help isn't appreciated, best of luck, gentlemen." After seeing so many people lose their minds over the "mission" of my previous employer I vowed to never let the company dictate how much I should sacrifice for them ever again.

I'm cracking up at the idea of The Wolf as a professional role model. Though I have to say, with the exception of "pretty please..." it's a pretty good one. WWTWD?

The Wolf is just a highly specialized freelance consultant with a unique skill set.

Is something wrong with treating other people as equals in a partnership, instead of cultivating a superiority complex?

I read it as a partnership to begin with: I am above the company and step down into a role. The CEO is also above the company and steps down into a role. The fact that their role is higher than mine on an org chart doesn't make the company more important than me, nor does it make the CEO more important then me. We're equals as human beings, he just has more authority in a specific narrow context.

Thought precisely the same thing and I think the author's disposition is deeply ethically for this reason. Other convictions expressed in the piece are similarly flawed. For me, many of the views expressed are anathema to how to be a good professional.

cannot edit my comment above but left out the key word: deeply ethically FLAWED.

Is a sports team unethical when they talk about being the best? Seems pretty unethical to think your better than the other team, right?

No, it's just a thing they tell themselves to hype themselves up and avoid the depressing truth most teams face, "we're far from the best and probably never will be the best, and there's a good chance we're going to lose this game".

Well, in work the depressing truth is "my boss is my boss, I have to do what they says so I can eat". A little chant to remind yourself that work should, ideally, be mutually beneficial and based on mutual respect, and that you're not a slave to the company and its politics is all this is.

People aren’t the same thing as a company.

Sure, but this is a trap. You’re just trading time for dollars, and you are not growing your personal value.

One thing that distinguishes a professional is the focus of what they work on. If somebody tells you what to do, and it’s not in that narrow range, you are not a professional anymore; you’re a stand-in for a professional, and you’ll get treated poorly.