The Culture You Have Is the One Your CEO Makes (or Breaks)

Building your culture is like building your reputation, it’s created slowly through many big and small acts. And it’s fragile, can be broken in a second, especially by the CEO.

Recently, a CEO was displayed for a few seconds on a concert kiss cam, holding and hugging his Head of HR. Within days, he resigned as the video went viral. It wasn’t just a scandal; it was a collapse of trust at the highest level.

When the CEO and Head of HR, the very people entrusted to uphold the culture, ignore the expectations they’ve set for everyone else, it can create confusion, fear, and silence.

Because if leadership breaks the rules, and no one feels safe enough to say something, the rules stop mattering entirely.

And even if someone wanted to speak up, would they? The fear of awkward backlash, professional fallout, or being labeled as disloyal often keeps people quiet. 

This wasn’t just a scandal, it was a symptom of a larger problem—a failure in the culture's ability to surface concerns before they went public.

Culture doesn’t crack in the big moments. It disappears quietly, eroded by silence, uncertainty, and the slow slog of inaction.

Power dynamics don’t need to be criminal to be costly.

A CEO is never just another employee; they shape the culture. When the CEO is romantically involved with HR, it sparks unease, no matter the intent.

Because:

• Power imbalance — real or perceived — shapes every interaction.

• Fear of retaliation — when HR is involved, employees often believe there’s no one left to report to.

This results in executive distraction that costs real time, trust, and revenue. Culture risk is business risk.

Research backs this up. A 2023 article in the Financial Times highlighted how employees often hesitate to raise concerns, not just because of fear, but because they doubt anything will change or that anyone will follow up. When concerns disappear into a void, silence becomes the safer choice. Leaders must create environments where people know their input matters and see that it results in visible action. A majority of employees who witness misconduct choose not to report it, often because they don’t trust the systems—or the leaders behind them—to take meaningful action.

These are culture moments that need a spotlight today.

And that’s where your systems—and leadership behaviors—come in. If employees don’t feel safe speaking up, even the best-written values won’t prevent a cultural breakdown.

Here’s how to build a speak-up culture that’s actually trusted:

1. Make it easy—and safe—to speak up

Implement a third-party compliance product and train people how to use it. Your reporting process should:

• Be externally managed

• Allow anonymous reports

• Route issues to a board-level committee, not just HR or leadership

• Share back aggregate data to show the system is working

Why this matters: It breaks the chain of internal influence. When the person causing the concern holds power over the reporting process (like the CEO or even HR), employees are less likely to use it.

2. Clarify cultural boundaries—don’t just post your values

Employees can’t speak up if they don’t know what crosses the line. Norms should be:

• Co-created and clearly communicated

• Revisited during onboarding and training

• Supported with real examples of what’s okay and what isn’t

Tip: Use refresher sessions to normalize asking questions and raising concerns.

3. Train leaders to hear what’s hard to say

Psychological safety doesn’t start with policy—it starts with leadership behavior. Equip your leaders to:

• Respond calmly to feedback and hard truths

• Avoid defensiveness and model accountability

• Understand how status can shut down conversation

A healthy culture isn’t one where nothing ever goes wrong. It’s one where people feel safe enough to raise their hand before it does.

4. Run culture pressure tests before crisis hits

Don’t wait for a public headline to ask if your systems work. Test them:

• Secret shop your hotline—does anyone respond?

• Ask employees what concerns they’ve never voiced

• Track how quickly and respectfully reports are resolved

If employees trust the system, they’ll use it. If not, you’re one awkward moment away from a preventable disaster.

🪩 Culture isn’t what you claim. It’s what you create.

The real tragedy of the kiss-cam resignation isn’t the headline — it’s how preventable it was.

With clear norms, trusted reporting systems, and leadership that truly invites feedback, this moment could’ve been prevented altogether. The choices made may have been personal, but the silence that preceded them was cultural. And that’s what unraveled, in full view of the public.

Instead, it became a viral example of how quickly culture can collapse when values and behaviors are unclear.

Wondering if your systems could stand the pressure?

Book a free 30-minute Culture Strategy Check to uncover where silence or misalignment might be putting your business at risk. Start here!

Let’s shine a light on yours before something breaks.