People

Musk, Zuck and Up: Should the actions of a founder taint their company?

Every organisation starts with a founder. So can we and should we separate their individual actions from the collective whole?

Michel Hogan 19 March, 2019

Facebook Mark Zuckerberg — Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg. Source: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez.

Every organisation starts with a person or people. And in the early days of existence, founders (aka people who do the starting) understandably provide an outsize impact on its doing and being. Hopefully for the better, and recently, all too often for the worse.

So, when it’s for the worse, can we and should we separate the individual actions from the collective whole?

To be clear, I’m not talking about the chief executive officer who takes the lead many years later.

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About the author

Michel Hogan

Michel Hogan is an independent brand counsel. She advises organisations on the risk to their purpose and values or making the wrong promises — with a robust, resilient brand as the result. You can find Michel at michelhogan.com, follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. Her ebook, Between Making Money and World Peace, is now available.