No Hire Can Fix a Broken Model

Stop saying “We just need a more strategic HRBP.” Because you don’t need a unicorn—you need leverage.

If you had a dollar for every time someone said, “We just need a more strategic HRBP,” you’d probably have the budget for five more HRBPs.

But here’s the truth no one wants to admit:

Even the best hires will stall out in a broken model.

The Support Spiral is Real

Most HR teams aren’t underperforming because they lack talent.

They’re stuck in what I call the Support Spiral:

• Always reacting
  
  
• Always overwhelmed
  
  
• Always treated like overhead
  
  

When that happens, the instinct is to hire your way out of it.

But it rarely works. The “unicorn” you hire—your strategic fix—gets pulled into the same cycle. Because the real issue isn’t headcount. It’s how the work gets delivered.

The Noble Trap

This is the part that stings a little.

HR often defines itself by saying, “We’re here to support the business.” It sounds responsible. Team-first. Noble.

But that mindset? It’s exactly what keeps teams stuck.

Support doesn’t scale.

Leverage does.

What Actually Moves The Needle?

The CHROs who break out of reactivity do something different.

They stop trying to be strategic alone—and start building systems that let others rise with them.

Here are three simple, high-leverage shifts I’ve seen work across dozens of CHRO Mastermind members:

1. Ask more, pitch less.

Next time you’re in a meeting with a business leader, don’t jump to solutions.

Spend 80% of the time asking questions:

• What outcome are we solving for?
  
  
• What happens if we do nothing?
  
  
• What does success look like 90 days from now?
  
  

Then don’t pitch.

Just recap what you heard and schedule a follow-up. This builds more credibility than any quick fix.

2. Build a case study library.

Strategic partners don’t just explain value—they show it.

Work with your team to write short, internal case studies:

• Here’s what we did
  
  
• Here’s the business impact
  
  

Even if you only have one great story to start, share it. Stories scale influence.

3. Coach like a player.

Bring your HR team into the business conversations. Let them shadow, listen, and debrief.

Ask:

• What did you notice?
  
  
• How did I reframe the issue?
  
  
• What would you try if you led that meeting?
  
  

This is how you build consultative capability—without adding another meeting to your calendar.

You don’t need a reorg. You need a reframed model.

The best CHROs don’t wait for headcount, a reorg, or permission.

They build leverage through:

• Discovery-driven HRBP conversations
  
  
• Delivery models with built-in accountability
  
  
• Transparent resource allocation
  
  
• Internal storytelling that repositions HR with execs
  
  
• Coaching their teams like consultants
  
  

When HR solves real business problems, you don’t have to ask for a seat in the meeting. You’ve already earned it.

Ready to reframe how your HR function delivers impact?

Let’s talk about how we can build this together—starting with the team you already have.

P.S. interested in discussing this topic live with a group of peers? Consider CHRO Mastermind Groups? Learn more here: https://www.chropartners.com/