McDonald’s CEO went viral for taking a ‘big bite’ of a burger. Here’s why it matters for HR.

Could corporate America’s CEOs some day be social-media competition for the moms of #MomTok?

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski went viral earlier this week after posting an Instagram video of himself taste-testing a new burger. It fueled backlash from users who ripped into the executive for taking the tiniest bite of the burger, and referring to it as a “product.” The video is just one of many that Kempczinski has posted on Instagram, where he’s shared career advice like how to overcome imposter syndrome and how to use AI at work.

“In this day and age, leaders are trying to lean into authenticity, and there was something about the bite of the burger that just seemed fake. It felt like inauthentic content,” Deborah Grayson Riegel, executive and communication coach and co-author of Aim High and Bounce Back, told HR Brew.

Social media could be part of an effective leadership and communication strategy for CEOs, Grayson Riegel said. But before they break out the ring lights and iPhone tripods, there are some guidelines CEOs should stick to on these platforms, she said.

Social media woes of CEOs. Social media can influence many workplace trends, from how employees express dissatisfaction to how candidates land jobs. But companies may want to keep their CEOs away from TikTok and Instagram, as not all are cut out for it, Chris Kaufman, author of Empathy at Work, told HR Brew.

“The role of the CEO is to lead the company, not to perform online, and when leaders start leaning too hard into social media personalities, it starts to feel like this forced branding instead of leadership,” Kaufman said. “At the same time, complete silence isn’t realistic anymore either…but the most effective approach is authenticity, not performance.”

Grayson Riegel said Kempczinski’s video struck a chord with consumers and employees because it appeared inauthentic and untrustworthy.

“For customers, but probably more importantly, for employees, this matters a lot, because people are following where the trust goes,” she said. “When you have a leader whose words and body language don’t align, people notice, and it erodes credibility far more than if he hadn’t even posted anything.”

Some HR learning lessons. Employees understand that social media is for promotional content, Kaufman said, but when CEOs use these platforms to elevate their personal brands, or for otherwise self-serving reasons, it can damage employee trust and company culture.

“That’s a risk when a leader steps into the social media space. It’s driven by humor. It’s driven by memes. There’s endless commentary,” Kaufman said. “Even small details are going to get amplified, and people are going to pick up on that, and people are looking for any opportunity to troll a rich, white guy that they can.”

While many CEOs want to be charismatic and engaging, “very few people are Steve Jobs,” Kaufman added. If their goal is to have a good social media presence, they should ask social media and communications professionals for help.

“There are lots of amazing CEOs that they just should not be the media face, and certainly not the social media face, of a company,” he said.

Instead of CEOs using social media to elevate themselves, Grayson Riegel advised that they highlight employees’ accomplishments, like employee-led service projects and philanthropy. “So much of [Kempczinski’s] Instagram is about him, and if he could use his visibility to shed visibility on others in the organization, I think that could go a long way,” she added.

“It’s a cautionary tale for people in an HR function,” she said. “HR leaders need to be mindful, when something like that happens, to either be able to advise or to bring in experts who can advise leaders on how to recover from a setback like this.”

McDonald’s declined HR Brew’s request for comment.