Scandal Through A New Lens
When Real Leadership Steps Forward
By now we’ve all heard, commented, shaped an opinion on the latest corporate scandal.
It started with a kiss-cam. Coldplay. Gillette Stadium. Two senior leaders caught in a moment they didn't expect. The crowd noticed. The internet noticed harder. Within hours, what could've been a private moment became a public question about power, ethics, and how culture actually works inside the companies we trust.
Most coverage has focused on the CEO and the CPO—what they did, who said what, who flinched first. That's not the real story.
The real story is what the rest of the leadership team does now.
Leadership moments don't happen in a vacuum. Neither does accountability. When trust fractures at the top, most companies follow the same playbook. Legal reviews. Sanitized PR statements. Generic apologies from whoever holds the highest title. We saw exactly that here—an underwhelming CEO statement that dodged more than it owned.
Translation: We're hoping this blows over so we can get back to business as usual.
What we haven't heard—and what we desperately need—is the voice of the remaining executive team. Because this isn't just about who got caught. It's about who has the spine to step up next.
Here's what the remaining C-Suite should say: "We were as shocked as you were. This moment exposed more than poor judgment—it exposed how power operates when people think no one's watching. What you saw doesn't represent this company. Not our standards. Not our people. Not what we're building here. Two people made choices that reflect their character, not ours. And we're not going to let their failure define hundreds of people who show up every day doing the right thing. We're leading this moment forward. With integrity. With transparency. With the values we actually believe in."
No lawyers. No corporate speak. Just humans taking responsibility for the culture they're paid to protect.
Every company has people who post the values on LinkedIn. What you need now are the ones who will protect them when it costs something. This is the moment for the CFO, CMO, CTO, COO to stand together and make it clear: this business isn't built on charisma or proximity to power. It's built on trust.
And trust isn't restored through silence. It's rebuilt through action that proves the rules apply to everyone—especially the people at the top. The message is simple: We are still here. And we are not them.
The real damage isn't reputational. It's internal. Employees wondering if integrity is just a poster in the break room. Customers wondering who's really making decisions. Board members wondering what else they don't know about.
This is organizational drift. The moment when everyone's watching to see if anyone's actually leading. Most companies choose performance over presence. Crisis management over character. Damage control over doing the right thing.
But drift isn't destiny. It's a choice.
The choice to lead when leading is hard. To speak when speaking is risky. To stand for something when standing is uncomfortable.
Your culture isn't broken. It's just waiting for leaders brave enough to carry it forward.
Time to find out who those leaders are.