At a Coldplay concert this week, the kiss cam landed on a couple looking verrryyy cozy. The crowd cheered. The couple saw themselves on the jumbotron… and immediately ducked out of frame. Chris Martin, with perfect timing, quipped: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy”
It was the former.
The CEO.
And the Chief People Officer.
Surrounded by other HR leaders from their company.
Here’s the deal. This. Cannot. Happen.
When the two people most responsible for culture and accountability are entangled, everything in the company feels like a lie. It erodes safety, fuels gossip, and destroys the integrity of the whole system.
This is not an indictment of these two humans – they screwed up, and unfortunately for them, their families and their company, now the whole world knows. The internet pile-on has already begun, and I am not here for it.
My comments are more broad.
HR is a freakin hard job.
We bring every single human in through the front door
We guide them through growth, challenge, and transition.
We hold the container when the world is upside down - COVID, global and local tragedies, acquisitions, layoffs - the list goes on and on.
We are the stewards of culture, the conscience of the organization, the standard-bearers when no one else wants to be.
And that’s why we have to be clean. Above-board. Uncompromised.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being trustworthy.
FWIW, I’m not letting the CEO off the hook here. I am speaking to my world. To my people. If we want to be seen as strategic, credible, and essential, we have to hold the line.
Because when HR loses its credibility, the whole system cracks.
We don’t just work in service of the business.We work in service of the people inside it.
And they deserve better than mixed messages, blurred lines, or whispers in hallways.
HR isn’t just a function or a title.
It’s a responsibility, and a privilege.
To quote from the very place this all started:"Am I a part of the cure, or part of the disease?" (Clocks)"Lights will guide you home" (Fix You)
