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How to Build Career Pathways That Drive Retention, Without a Fancy HR System

Uncategorized May 19, 2025

 

Why CHROs Need This
If your best people can’t see a future at your company, they’ll build it somewhere else. In this practical, no-fluff session, Angela Cheng-Cimini, Head of HR at The Chronicle of Philanthropy and former CHRO at Harvard Business Publishing, breaks down how she created a DIY career pathways system—using nothing more than Excel—that increased internal mobility, enabled honest promotion conversations, and addressed turnover head-on.

This isn’t about creating bloated frameworks that sit on a shelf. It’s about giving your managers and employees a shared language for development—and your business a path to stronger margins and performance.

 

What You’ll Learn
✅ The 3-part framework for career pathing (Core, Technical, Leadership)
✅ How to define skill mastery across four experience levels
✅ Why employees leave without this—and how to stop it
✅ A proven approach to equitable, peer-reviewed promotions
✅ How to build your own version using AI and Excel—no tech stack r...

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Designing for adoption: A new mindset for HR programs | Allen Tai, Head of HR, Landing Systems at Collins Aerospace

Uncategorized May 15, 2025

 

 

All statements and opinions are those of Allen Tai and not of Collins Aerospace, RTX, or any of their affiliates.


Many high-potential HR leaders fall into a common trap: designing well-intended HR programs that never gain traction. Not because they’re flawed—but because they weren’t built with business outcomes or user experience in mind. In this conversation, Allen Tai draws on years of experience leading HR in complex global organizations to share how CHROs can help their teams shift from content creators to business accelerators.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • The trap high-potential HR leaders fall into—and how to avoid it

  • Why “good content” is not enough: lessons from UX, marketing, and tech

  • How to measure HRBP effectiveness without fluff or guesswork

  • How to tie internal customer feedback directly to business performance

  • The mindset shift from “HR program owner” to “business outcomes driver”

  • Simple ways to increase adoption and impact of HR tools and initiatives

Speakers...

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Why More CHROs Are Being Tapped for Board Seats, And How to Position Yourself

Uncategorized May 13, 2025

If you still think CHROs don’t belong in the boardroom, it’s time for a perspective shift.

✅ HR is now a business driver. Talent risk is one of the top concerns for boards today, alongside cybersecurity, financial risk, and governance. 

✅ You bring more than just “comp expertise.” Boards are looking at CHROs for their experience in M&A, business strategy, and enterprise risk management. 

✅ The old rules no longer apply. Boards are actively seeking diverse leaders, and many are adding seats specifically for HR expertise.

How CHROs Can Position Themselves for a Board Seat:

 

  1. Think beyond HR. Highlight your experience in M&A, IPOs, financial strategy, or governance, not just people and culture. 
  2. Get fluent in financials. No one expects you to be a CFO, but you need to understand the P&L and strategic levers of the business.
  3. Build your board bio. CHROs who land board seats know how to market themselves as business leaders—not just HR experts. 
  4. Network strategically. Many board o
  5. ...
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The CHRO’s Hidden Superpower: Developing a Consultative HR Team

Uncategorized May 09, 2025

You think…

To elevate HR’s influence, you need more data, more business acumen or more executive buy-in.

But really…

The key to business impact isn’t in the numbers—it’s in the approach. The best CHROs don’t wait for a seat at the table; they train their HR teams to lead discussions that matter.


The difference between being seen as a compliance function versus a business driver comes down to: 

✅ Shifting HR from order taker to trusted advisor

✅ Modeling consultative behavior in the C-suite 

✅ Empowering your HR leaders to ask better questions and challenge assumptions


That’s exactly what we cover in this lesson in CHRO School: 📌 From Order Taker to Trusted Advisor: A CHRO’s Guide to Elevating HR’s Business Impact 

Inside this course you’ll get: 

✔ A 5-step framework to coach your HR team into strategic advisors 

✔ Downloadable coaching prompts to help them develop consultative skills

 ✔ A guide to gradually introducing HR leaders into executive meetings so they learn by...

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The Shortcut to Strategic HR Leadership

Uncategorized Apr 30, 2025

How long did it take for your C-suite to see HR as a business accelerator? If you are like most CHROs I know, it was not overnight.

Late nights, trial and error, and the constant push to move HR beyond a support function - it is exhausting. And even when you succeed, the game does not stop. The best CHROs keep learning, adapting, and staying ahead.

After working with hundreds of CHROs, I have seen what separates those who drive real business impact from those who stay stuck. The most successful CHROs actively sharpen five critical skills that position HR as a business accelerator.


1. Staying Relevant and Leading the Future of HR

Most CHROs know they need to stay ahead of trends - but who has time to read everything? Those who keep their edge develop a system for continuous learning, focusing on insights that actually impact business strategy.

Inside CHRO School: A shortcut to staying sharp without information overload, plus Summaries That Save Time (STST) for

...
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How CHROs Stay Ahead Without Adding More to Their Plate

Uncategorized Apr 22, 2025

You think staying relevant as a CHRO means reading every new report, attending every conference, and keeping up with every new HR trend.

 

But really, the most strategic CHROs don’t waste time chasing information—they build a personal board of advisors that acts as an early warning system for business risks and opportunities.


Think about it: 

🔹 How many decisions could you make faster if you had trusted CHRO peers sharing real-time insights? 

🔹 How much time would you save if other CHROs vetted vendors for you before you even considered them? 

🔹 What if you could see industry shifts coming months ahead of time instead of reacting too late?

 

🔍 If you just take a structured approach to building your personal board of advisors, you’ll shortcut your way to faster decisions and better outcomes—without adding more to your plate.

 

Then you’ll get: 

✅ A trusted network that gives you insights before trends become mainstream 

✅ Faster, smarter decision-making without second-gues...

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How CHROs Can Build a Rockstar HR Leadership Team to Escape the Tactical HR Treadmill

Uncategorized Apr 15, 2025

You think the key to hiring a great HR leadership team is prioritizing experience - because hard skills like Total Rewards, Talent Management, and L&D are non-negotiable.

But really, the biggest hiring mistakes don’t happen because someone lacks technical skills. They happen because a hire doesn’t have the influence, problem-solving ability, or consultative mindset needed to succeed.

📌 92% of talent professionals say soft skills matter as much as hard skills. 

📌 89% of hiring failures happen due to soft skills gaps—not missing experience.

 

⭐️ Hiring for Rockstar Potential (RSP) solves this.

 

The AAA Litmus Test for Hiring HR Leaders:

1️⃣ Aptitude – Critical thinking, business acumen, and the ability to connect the dots. 

2️⃣ Attitude – Ownership mindset and a refusal to fail.

3️⃣ Appreciation – The drive to grow, instead of “been there, done that” complacency.

 

One CHRO from our Mastermind shared how hiring a business leader (instead of an HR veteran) for an HRBP role tr...

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You Know You Have Made It As A CHRO When....

Uncategorized Mar 26, 2025
CHROPartners
You Know You Have Made It As A CHRO When....
20:49
 

 

Reflecting on the stories shared within our CHRO Mastermind community, it’s inspiring to see members reach moments that signal true impact. These aren’t just "HR wins"; they demonstrate the strategic influence and leadership that define the role of a Chief Human Resources Officer. Here are some signs that you’ve truly made it:

    1. Your CEO tells his direct reports to come talk to you first about solutioning a challenge.
    2. An outside management consultant asks what business unit you run, assuming you’re more than "just" HR.
    3. You get to spend 80% of your time on the business and not the HR work.
    4. Your team is able to handle C-suite meetings without you.
    5. HR is a feeder system for talent into the business.
    6. You never have openings in HR because everyone else in the organization wants to work in your team.
    7. The CIO wants to adopt your strategic HR business partner model.
    8. Your CEO asks you to recruit the next board member.
    9. Your peers in the C-suite call you the "CEO Whisperer."
    10. You...
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Employees Don’t Always Leave Because of Their Bosses or Compensation

Uncategorized Mar 26, 2025

Someone I know has been working long hours because of the high demand for their skill set. That’s a good thing. Their clients appreciate them immensely, their peers offer high praise, and the compensation is fair—plus, the incentives have no limits. All good, right?

But.

When it takes three hours to book flights, when they have to take a connection just to save $100—those become little blisters. Tiny annoyances that seem insignificant but, over time, start rubbing the wrong way. Even when their boss’s boss’s boss calls to say how much they’re valued, the blister still grows. Because when you’re already working 65-70 hours a week, spending another three hours just to book travel isn’t a minor inconvenience—it’s lost time, lost focus, and ultimately, lost productivity.

And the worst part? The company is so big that even the top leadership can’t easily fix these kinds of employee experience issues that slowly wear down star performers.

And when employees are working at a sprinter’s pa...

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What It’s Really Like to Be in a CHRO Mastermind Group

Uncategorized Mar 25, 2025
 

What It’s Really Like to Be in a CHRO Mastermind Group

At the top of the HR world, the air can get thin. That is why we created CHRO Mastermind Groups ~ to give high-level HR leaders a place to grow, connect, and belong.

In this episode, hear directly from members of our community
✨ Aja Howell (CHRO, GuideStone Financial Resources)
✨ Amy Webb (CHRO, Tronox)
✨ Chelle O'Keefe (Chief People Officer, Platinum Dermatology Partners)
✨ Maruchy Cantu (Chief HR & Administrative Officer, and Board Member, DFW Airport)
✨ Melissa Goebel (Chief People Officer, Graco Roberts and formerly CHRO of YPO)

They share what it is like to


✅ Transition into CHRO roles with confidence
✅ Build deep and lasting peer relationships
✅ Get honest input in a safe and vendor free environment
✅ Grow faster by learning from others’ hard earned lessons
✅ Find a community that truly gets it

Whether you are a new CHRO or a seasoned CPO, this is more than a network. It is your personal board of directors.

🎥 Watch now...

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