The Chief HR Officer

The Chief HR Officer: Defining the New Role of Human Resource Leaders

Praise for the chief HR Officer

“The strategic portfolio of issues addressed and the sage wisdom and perspectives shared make this book a powerful transformation tool.” —Jodee Kozlak, executive vice president, Human Resources, Target Corporation

“An up-to-the-minute guide as to what is happening to the field of human resources through the eyes of those in charge of it.” —Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and director, Center for Human Resources, Wharton School

“This is a definitive guide for human resources leaders who are at the frontlines of competitiveness for their organizations.” —David A. Rodriguez, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Marriott International

“This book is a must-read for all HR professionals to understand the evolution of how far we’ve come as a function and how much more we have to contribute to the success of the enterprise.” —William J. Conaty, former senior vice president, Human Resources, General Electric Corporation

“This book is a treasure-trove of insights that will elevate the practice of human resource management to a whole new level in the twenty-first century.” —Lee D. Dyer, professor and chair, Department of Human Resource Studies, Cornell University

“As a CEO who understands how important managing human capital is to delivering business results, The Chief HR Officer is an invaluable resource.” —Russ Fradin, CEO, Hewitt Associations

“This is a must-read for state-of-the-art in human resource management.” —Scott A. Snell, E. Thayer Bigelow Professor of Business Administration, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia

“This accessible, practical guide for HR professionals clearly describes the critical values, behaviors and skills needed to fulfill the multiple roles of an HR leader- trusted business partner, talent architect and expert functional leader.”—Sally Bott, group human resource director, BP

Table of Contents

PART ONE: TODAY’S CHIEF HUMAN 13
1 The Evolving Chief Human Resource Officer Role 1
2 Perform! Don’t Run! 15
3 The Art and Science of the CHRO Role 23
4 ETC 32
5 Roles and Challenges of the CHRO: Results of the Cornell/CAHRS CHRO Survey 40

PART TWO: THE CHRO AS STRATEGIC ADVISOR AND TALENT ARCHITECT 55
6 Leadership and Employee Engagement: A Positive Synergy at Caterpillar 57
7 Four Steps to World-Class Talent Management 71
8 Retooling HR and Avoiding the Service Trap: How Proven Business Models Offer Untapped Potential for Strategic Talent Decisions 83
9 The CHRO as Cultural Champion 93
10 When Crisis Calls 99
11 Doing HR’s Business with the Government 107

PART THREE: THE CHRO AS COUNSELOR/CONFIDANT/ COACH 117
12 Who Do You Really Work For? Serving Multiple and Often Conflicting Constituencies as CHRO 119
13 Partnering with the CEO 130
14 Forging Effective Relationships with Your Boss and Colleagues 137
15 What Do You Stand For? 146
16 Great Leader or Just a CEO? Insights on CEOs from the Perspective of CHROs 155

PART FOUR: THE CHRO AS LIAISON TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 169
17 Working with the Board of Directors 171
18 CHROs and Boards: A Missing Link 183
19 The Role of the CHRO in Managing Executive Compensation 193
20 How to Be a High-Performing CHRO in the Executive Compensation Arena 203

PART FIVE: THE CHRO AS LEADER OF THE HR FUNCTION 211
21 Making a Difference in the First 100 Days 213
22 Delivering Results with a Global HR Team 227
23 Experiences as a New CHRO in a New Industry 237
24 Designing an Integrated HR Function: What the CHRO Needs to Know 246
25 HR for Impact 257

PART SIX: CHARACTERISTICS OF TODAY’S CHRO 269
26 Preparing CHROs to Exceed CEO Expectations 271
27 Delivering Global Talent in a High-Velocity World: What CEOs Look For in a CHRO 279
28 What Does Today’s CHRO Look Like? Demographic Characteristics of CHROs at the World’s Largest Companies 288
29 Bringing It All Together: The Four Knows of the CHRO 296