The CEO-CHRO connection is the tether that holds an organization together. Executive leaders discussed this alignment during the session “What CEOs Really Think of HR” at the SHRM Executive Network's Visionaries Summit 2026.
“Being a human capital expert, in and of itself, at your level, is not enough. The rest of the world needs proof,” said SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP. Just 32% of CEOs say they see their CHRO as a strategic business partner in the C-suite, according to the SHRM report, Navigating the C-Suite: How CHROs Can Master Executive-Level Influence.
HR leaders must instead tie their department's work to organizational outcomes. According to SHRM’s HR Excellence (HR-X) data, just 12% of organizations are operating at a high level of HR maturity, yet improving HR maturity by just 1 unit on SHRM's HR-X maturity scale results in about $62,000 in increased revenue per full-time employee, among other benefits.
What Separates a Good Leader from a Great One
Good judgment is the main thing that sets leaders apart, according to speakers Milind Pant, former CEO at Amway, and Ram Charan, global advisor to CEOs and corporate boards.
“The biggest disadvantage to a CEO is power… Power creates distance,” Pant said. “The CHRO can help the CEO force that team to get to know where are the friction points, the ego — we’re humans.”
He noted that the CEO has a big-picture view of the puzzle pieces of an organization, whereas the CHRO can help identify the people-specific motivations. Gaining this additional knowledge can help the CEO get employees on the same page when navigating change or implementing new workplace policies.
“I need the CHRO to come to me with an independent point of view,” Pant said. “If the CHRO can help with the three buckets: chemistry, collaboration, and alignment… I would love to have that CHRO on my team.”
When communicating with the CEO, Charan also advised HR leaders to remove any fluff.
“CEOs hate the jargon people use,” he said. One example discussed was how the word “recruiting” has now become “talent acquisition.” Similarly, the term “skills” has evolved into “core competencies.”
Using longer terminology isn’t always necessary for these one-on-one internal conversations. Sometimes simplifying your language as CHRO can make communication flow smoother and help you cut to the chase when speaking with your CEO.
Making Difficult Decisions
The conversation about exercising good judgment especially comes into play when making recruiting decisions, particularly in an age of AI where it’s easier for candidates to fool recruiters.
Pant noted that even if he gets two-thirds of the recruiting decisions right, that’s considered a success.
“I've got to be generous with myself,” he said. "I bet on people, and the bets sometimes work out, and sometimes they don't work out."
Charan added that aligning the person to the right role is sometimes the missing piece. “I have a radical view. There is no such thing as the wrong person; there’s the wrong fit,” he said.
Whether it comes to recruiting or HR budgeting, this practice of making difficult decisions will continue to improve as you evolve in your HR practice.
“Everybody can practice like an athlete and improve judgment, improve analysis, and improve with their critical thinking,” Charan said.
Trust Between the CHRO and CEO
At the end of the day, like most good relationships, CHRO-CEO alignment all comes down to one thing: “Trusting is having a person who is authentic, humble, and has the courage to put the enterprise agenda above everything else,” Pant said. That trust comes from "Knowing that this person has my back. This person really wants me to succeed, and the company to succeed," he said.
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