Tolerating Toxic Superstars aka Oh Crap, Another Charlie Sheen Blog Post

I didn’t want to write this post. I hate adding to the noise around celebrities and their lives. As someone placed in a position to uphold the confidentiality given to me by my employer and employees I’m reluctant to use someone’s personal life as a lesson for understanding. However, I can’t seem to avoid him. Charlie Sheen’s all over Twitter, the news, blogs. The man’s everywhere. He’s taken over all of the communication channels I normally use.

He’s the dark side of personal branding. He’s overshadowed the show that’s help make him wildly successful and, in spite having horrible behavior that would have gotten him fired had he worked at a “normal” job, he seems to be doing well. Of course that’s relative; for all I know he could be millions in debt. And it’s well known that his family life’s in shambles.


So what’s my point? Charlie Sheen is the “new normal” for organizations that tolerate toxic superstars. When CBS finally acted against his poor behavior, he did what many disgruntled employees would do-he vented using the tools at his disposal. While the scale of his response was unusual it shouldn’t surprise any of us in Human Resources. Disciplinary action and terminations against employees posting inappropriate messages online are not uncommon anymore. Many organizations have, or are developing, policies and training around social media and how individuals should be using it to best represent the organization they serve. Social media gives individuals a vibrant platform to broadcast their thoughts and actions. Like any tool, it can be abused, and companies need to come to grip with that reality.

When all is said and done, I wish his family and him the best of luck. For the readers, start thinking about the type of culture your organizations promote. Some questions to ask are:

  • Are star performers at your company held to the same (ethical and professional) standards as everyone else?
  • What types of programs are in place to ensure that employees are aware of the company’s position on public communications, confidentiality, and remaining positive brand ambassadors?
  • What’s your employee exit strategy, both for “normal” separations and volatile ones?
  • Now that the person’s no longer part of the organization, how do you protect its reputation in the public sphere?
Terminated employees may no longer go silently into the night. If not handled well, they can come back to haunt you. 

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