Jason Sudeikis, SHRM, and the Case of the Missing Keynote

Here are the facts as we know them from a sunny afternoon in Chicago, IL:

Jason Sudeikis was the planned kickoff speaker at SHRM24.

Instead, Al Roker took the stage.

While Roker was at SHRM talking about leadership, Sudeikis was spotted at a WNBA game with Chance the Rapper.

And the hometown crowd of 26,000 HR ladies and dudes lost their collective shit. I think there’s a helicopter circling over McCormick Place right now, and it has nothing to do with Caitlin Clark.

This, my friends, is a big-ass controversy.

I know. I can’t believe it, either. HR folks and SHRM attendees went wild when Sudeikis was a no-show, like a new employee ghosting his boss at a Foot Locker. They were quick to accuse Sudeikis of being everything from a vagrant to a bum to the devil incarnate. Suzanne Lucas even wrote an opinion piece on Inc., of all places, that urged her readers to separate Sudeikis (a jerk who let the HR ladies down) from his character, Ted Lasso (a hero to all humankind). She even drew a tortured analogy, comparing Sudeikis to Bill Cosby, a convicted felon, and his character, Dr. Huxtable, who was not a hero and gave women pelvic exams in his basement.

This whole thing is kind of stupid, right? It’s not just me, is it?

I’m long retired from the HR game. I don’t blog about conferences or HR insider stuff. Mostly, I hang out with my friends and wonder why none of us have won the lottery. But in my absence, I see a leadership gap on this topic (among others). It’s not just from Lucas but everyone on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and other lame social media sites speculating about what happened.

It’s important to get the details right when reporting from war. You might want to do the same when reporting from SHRM, even if it’s just writing a post on social media to your 12 followers. Here is some advice from the professionals.

1. First reports are often wrong: Initial reactions might be based on incomplete information.
2. Sources matter: Consider the credibility of those commenting on the situation.
3. Context is crucial: Understand the context of the conference and why Sudeikis was expected to speak.
4. Avoid speculation: Don’t jump to conclusions about why Sudeikis didn’t appear.
5. Balance and fairness: Present different viewpoints and avoid one-sided criticism.
6. Ethical considerations: Maintain integrity in discussing the situation without resorting to sensationalism.
7. Clear communication: Ensure your message is clear and avoid adding to the confusion.

What is the lesson from this Ted Lasso/SHRM debacle?

Ultimately, nobody knows anything. Neither SHRM nor Sudeikis have said anything formally and publicly to explain what happened. And HR professionals, of all people, should know that most CEOs and organizations spin the crap out of everything—so take corporate communications with a grain of salt.

In my absence from this industry, I want to see it grow and flourish. I want HR professionals to be critical thinkers and question everything. They are journalists, investigators, anthropologists, and even FBI profilers of organizations to get to the truth, enabling excellence, peak performance, and a return for shareholders and investors. Why aren’t those skills being applied right now?

This Jason Sudeikis speculation is like a dollar store knockoff of the real thing—a cheap imitation of reporting on “leadership” that embarrasses our profession. Let’s do better. Let’s be better.

But let’s all come to my party tonight, okay?