A CHRO, or Chief Human Resources Officer, is defined by Gartner as someone who oversees their organization's HR management and labor relations policies, practices, and operations. 

A recent McKinsey survey of 70 CHROs across Europe revealed a growing desire to make large organizations more people-centric in today’s workplaces, a shift that has accelerated since the pandemic. 

This shift also highlights how as HR's role has expanded beyond administration to strategic leadership, CHROs are challenged to become more people-centric while aligning talent management with business goals. 

As HR leaders, you may wonder:

What skills are essential for HR professionals aspiring to step into the CHRO role (the C-suite)?

What can CHROs do to create a learning culture that truly supports development and retention?

How can CHROs effectively champion a people-centric approach?

To answer these questions, we turned to Edie Goldberg, Founder and President of E.L. Goldberg & Associates. 

With over 20 years of experience advising Fortune 10 companies and startups alike, Dr. Goldberg is a nationally recognized expert in talent management and the future of work. 

Her practice specializes in designing human resources processes that attract, engage, develop, and retain talent. 

Additionally, Edie Goldberg serves as Chair of the SHRM Foundation and advises on the boards of three Human Resources technology companies, making her insights invaluable for HR leaders seeking to elevate their impact.

From fostering a culture of learning and growth to leading strategic talent initiatives, Edie shared exclusive, insightful, practical guidance on how CHROs can maximize their influence and drive meaningful organizational change.

Let’s dive in.

Q: Edie, thank you for taking the time to share your expert insights. To start, could you explain how the CHRO role differs from a traditional HR leader role?

Edie Goldberg: Good question. A chief human resources officer, or CHRO, is typically part of the C-suite team and may report to the board of directors. This title implies they are part of the executive team and involved in strategic decision-making at the highest level.

In contrast, a head of HR might not hold the same level of responsibility or influence. The distinction may just be in terminology, but generally, larger companies with executive teams have a CHRO, CFO (chief financial officer), CEO (chief executive officer), CTO (chief technology officer), and CIO (chief information officer).

In many companies, particularly those that don’t prioritize HR as highly, the head of HR may report to legal or operations instead of being part of the senior management team. Titles can indicate how a company values or perceives the role of HR. 

However, in Silicon Valley, many well-funded startups bring on a CHRO early, recognizing the value of talent and culture from the beginning.

The bigger the company, the more strategic the CHRO role becomes. They often handle larger responsibilities and have closer proximity to the board. - Edie Goldberg

Q: I read that CHROs have been rising rapidly across various companies. Does this mean that organizations are increasingly valuing the human factor on par with traditional roles like CEO or COO?

Edie Goldberg: Absolutely. The pandemic underscored the importance of HR, showing CEOs worldwide how vital HR is to running an organization. HR was central to managing the shift to remote work and addressing global issues like the Me Too movement and social justice. Companies recognized the need for a leader focused on talent, culture, and adapting to hybrid work.

The pandemic, along with societal shifts, raised the relevance of HR. HR’s importance to organizational success became evident, and companies began to understand the significant value HR brings in terms of culture and employee experience. 

This shift is particularly essential now, as talent shortages make it harder to attract employees. Culture and employee experience have become critical for attracting talent, and organizations are seeing the value of great HR leadership.

Q: If our audience is looking to become a CHRO, what skills should they develop?

Edie Goldberg: The top skill for aspiring CHROs is business acumen. 

Understanding the business ecosystem, customers, and the competitive landscape is crucial. Effective CHROs approach HR with a business-first mindset, crafting talent strategies that align with business objectives.

Additionally, consulting skills are essential. Relationship-building and questioning skills are also critical, enabling CHROs to become trusted advisors within the executive team.

Great CHROs don’t solve every problem; they ask the right questions to help leaders think strategically and reach their own solutions. - Edie Goldberg

Q: Thank you. I've read recently that in the age of AI, learning is an organization's number one priority. What's the CHRO’s role in fostering a learning culture in an organization?

The role of the CHRO in creating a learning culture involves not only defining company values around learning and growth but also promoting the concept of a “growth mindset.” The idea is to instill the belief that everyone can learn new things if given the opportunity. 

From a leadership perspective, it’s about what you say, but more importantly, it’s about the programs, processes, and expectations you set up to reinforce this value of learning for employees.

For instance, Dolby Labs does something quite remarkable: they recognize and reward managers for being “net talent exporters.” This means they encourage managers to help employees learn, grow, and even move to other parts of the business where they can develop new skills.

By rewarding managers for developing talent internally, Dolby Labs emphasizes the importance of learning as a core value. 

CHROs need to implement robust learning and development programs. 

Often, employees feel they don’t have time to learn because they’re focused on their day jobs. CHROs can help by creating “learning in the flow of work” programs that encourage employees to take time for development, holding managers accountable for facilitating this as well.

You do this through recognition and reward systems. It’s a multi-faceted strategy to become a learning organization—content alone is just a small part. The real focus is on culture, values, and what the company recognizes and rewards. 

There’s a famous saying: "What gets rewarded and recognized is what gets done." If the managers aren’t rewarded for helping employees learn and grow, they won’t prioritize it." - Edie Goldberg

Q: So, by rewarding managers who support their team members’ learning journeys, we’re reinforcing positive behaviors. Am I understanding that correctly?

Edie Goldberg: Exactly. It could be integrated into the performance management system or promotion criteria. We would assess whether managers are developing talent within their teams. 

Managers who hoard talent and don’t encourage people to learn and grow – just focusing on work output – aren’t the ones driving an organization’s growth. Consequently, they don’t contribute to increased productivity and profitability. - Edie Goldberg

Q: So this is how an effective CHRO fosters a learning culture within an organization!

Edie Goldberg: Yes, exactly. It’s a multi-pronged approach. 

You need to provide access to learning opportunities—whether through content or experiences. Additionally, employees need time and support to engage in these opportunities, and managers should be recognized and rewarded for supporting their development. It’s essential for leaders to communicate the value of learning as well.

Q: That’s a powerful perspective. Another hot topic is attracting and managing talent – what's the role of a CHRO here?

Edie Goldberg: It’s about having an integrated set of talent management practices that reinforce positive workplace culture and create a compelling employee experience. Human resource systems need to work together seamlessly. 

For example, managers who support employee growth should be rewarded and promoted because employees want to work for leaders who support their development.

Many years ago, I worked with a tech company where HR programs and processes were disconnected. We developed a career structure specifically for engineering and product marketing roles, which were hard to fill in Silicon Valley. 

By showing candidates a career path rather than just a job, we attracted and retained talent more effectively. Candidates were drawn to the idea of building a career with us.

Today, companies recognize that career development is essential to retain employees. Many employees move jobs for new experiences, often because they can’t find those opportunities within their own company. Providing employees with new experiences and opportunities to learn and grow is crucial for retaining talent.

You can think of the CHRO as the orchestrator, bringing together various human capital programs and processes into a cohesive strategy that attracts, engages, develops, and retains talent.

Q: That’s insightful. Is there a real-life example of a CHRO successfully building a strong company culture?

Edie Goldberg: Yes, HERE Technologies offers a great example. 

They created a “Talent Marketplace,” which matched employees’ skills with projects across departments, allowing them to explore new roles and develop skills outside their usual responsibilities. 

One employee, who initially wasn’t happy in her role, used the marketplace to work on a marketing project and eventually transitioned to a full-time position in marketing. This initiative fostered a learning culture and increased employee engagement, making the company more agile.

Q: So by finding work that aligns with their interests, employees become more engaged. That’s wonderful.

Edie Goldberg: Exactly. Employees are more productive when they’re engaged in meaningful work they enjoy. Encouraging employees to pursue roles that suit their strengths and passions benefits both the individual and the organization. It’s not about working longer hours but finding fulfillment in their work, which drives productivity.

Q: That’s a fantastic approach. Thank you, Edie, for your time and insights. It’s been incredibly helpful.

Edie Goldberg: I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for the conversation.