It didn’t start with a statement.

It started with an *entrelacement*, a full-body moment between the CEO of Astronomer and his Head of HR. Captured mid-concert, mid-crowd, and mid-embrace. Not a whisper of affection, but an unambiguous display of intimacy between two high-level executives, both married, both under the scrutiny of leadership roles.

The footage made its way online. The internet did what it does. And within hours, we had two resignations, one press release, and a whole lot of silence since.

Case closed? Not quite.

Because the real story isn’t what happened between two people. It’s what didn’t happen around them. The missed opportunity for leadership. The performative culture collapse. The silence from those who once claimed to be mentors, colleagues… even family at the company.

This isn’t about scandal. It’s about strategy and the complete lack of it.

The Myth of the Perfect Executive

The higher the title, the smaller the margin for error. Executive success has become synonymous with sanitized perfection no flaws, no messiness, no emotional reality. But here’s the truth behind the tailored suits and quarterly reports: leadership gets lonely. It gets mentally draining. And the pressure? It’s often relentless.

This story isn’t just about two professionals crossing a line it’s about what happens when we pretend leadership strips you of your humanity. Two adults. Private lives. Unknown home dynamics. Real emotions. Public consequences. The only difference between them and most executives? Their moment went viral.

The Convenient Resignation Clause

And then came the classic curtain close.

“They’ve both resigned. The board has accepted.”

How conveniently seamless. A scandal unfolds, a headline hits, and suddenly clean exits all around. No further comment. No nuance. No leadership in sight.

But let’s call it what it is: a PR move, not a people strategy.

This was a moment begging for courage. For real leadership. For the company to say: “We don’t condone this but we will navigate it. Publicly. Transparently. With accountability and humanity.”

And let’s not ignore the hypocrisy baked into corporate culture. Companies love to throw the word “family, support, mentorship” around. But is that how we treat family? Are we always so quick to toss them out or request they change their last name at the first sign of mess, just to keep ours spotless? When leadership gets hard, when people falter that’s when the word the above words should mean something.

For those asking, “But how could they face their employees after this?” let’s flip the question. Are you no longer a parent or leader when you mess up? Does a single failure void your authority? If anyone’s found the book that makes leaders or parents perfect, I’d love a copy. I could use it at home.

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best:
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

And just out of curiosity… I wonder how many of their so-called mentors and industry friends have actually picked up the phone? Or are they all suddenly “too busy” to be associated with the mess? Still on the weekend hangout list, or has that chat gone quiet too?

Funny how fast “proximity” fades when the headlines hit. Has anyone even asked how they’re really doing mentally, emotionally, professionally? Or does leadership come with applause when you’re winning and silence when you’re sinking?

In this case, the silence wasn’t just deafening it was defining. The company’s response didn’t show leadership. It showed self-preservation.

This was business. And business walked away.

Visibility Has a Price; But Also a Payoff

Here’s the irony. Before this, most people had never heard of the company. Now? It’s everywhere. Google searches. Podcast debates. Think pieces like this one. And yes some of us even checked out their work, their platform, their services. Visibility was gained.

In crisis strategy, we always say: every headline holds potential. It’s not the act it’s the aftermath. It’s what you do once you’re seen.

Unfortunately, most organizations panic at the sight of public scrutiny. But real visionaries? They know how to pivot.

Leadership Isn’t the Absence of Mistakes. It’s What You Do With Them.

The scandal isn’t the story. The silence afterward is.

What if we stopped asking executives to be perfect and started preparing them to be real? What if we traded moral grandstanding for a more honest culture of growth and recovery?

Some will say this is about ethics. We say it’s about evolution.

Because in the end, the brands we remember aren’t the ones that never faltered they’re the ones who owned the fallout, changed the narrative, and redefined leadership in the process.

Editor’s Take

This could’ve been a masterclass in reputational recovery if they hadn’t hit eject at the first sign of smoke. Instead of rushing to sever ties and save face, leadership had a chance to own the moment, lead with transparency, and show the world what grown-up crisis management actually looks like. Boundaries could’ve been set. Narratives could’ve been shaped. But they chose silence over strategy. Newsflash: crises don’t need perfection they need backbone and directions.

The Executor & Associates
Control the Narrative. Command the Outcome.
This isn’t PR. It’s human strategy.™
www.executorandco.com | @theexecutorfirm