Share Your Voice
Click "Add post" to start the conversation.
Sign up or log in to enable.
The #1 question Chief People Officers ask me
When I talk to chief people officers or HR leaders about to become chief people officers, they often ask me this: “What is my role on the executive team, and how do I expand my influence?” I decided to get HiBob CPO Nirit Peled-Muntz’s take. As usual, her wisdom speaks for itself. How have you found your footing in your exec team? Anything you would add to Nirit’s perspective? 73What are you carrying into 2026 that you need to set down?
Most HR leaders I know are running on fumes right now. They’ve spent the year: Advocating for culture while navigating egos and politics Building systems while everyone else focused on outputs Holding tension that no one else wanted to name Being the person who cares... while proving they're strategic It's exhausting. And it all happens behind-the-scenes. One of the most powerful shifts I saw in the HR leaders I coach this year was learning to ask: "What's mine to carry?" So before you close out 2025, consider asking yourself: What am I carrying that isn't actually mine? Maybe it's: Responsibility for dynamics you can influence but don't control The belief that if you don't fix it, no one will Pressure to make everyone happy In 2026… You get to lead with clarity AND protect your energy. You get to care deeply AND set boundaries. You get to be strategic AND fully human. You don't have to choose. What are you leaving behind in 2025? 40The busiest week of the year is when boundaries matter most
It's mid-December. Your calendar is packed with holiday parties, performance reviews, and "quick sync" requests that aren't quick at all. And if you're like most HR leaders, you're probably thinking: "I'll set boundaries in January." But here's what I learned coaching CPOs this year: The pattern you run during chaos is the pattern you'll default to all year long. If you're over-functioning now, you're teaching your organization what to expect from you in 2026. Boundaries aren't walls. They're clarity. They define what you're responsible for and what you're not. And the most respectful thing you can do (for yourself and for others) is get clear on them. Three micro-boundaries to try this week: Block one afternoon for thinking/reflection and treat it like a board meeting. No one gets that time but you. Create a "what I own" vs. "what I support" list for the requests coming at you. Not everything urgent is yours. Say this out loud once: "I can't take that on right now, but here's when I can revisit it." Practice the pause. The chaos of December doesn't have to set the tone for your 2026. You can lead powerfully AND protect your energy. They're not mutually exclusive. If you downloaded the CPO guide, Chapter 9 goes deeper on this. If you haven't yet, grab it here: https://community.hibob.com/c-suite-strategy/discussions/post/this-ebook-is-for-every-hr-leader-who-s-ever-felt-misunderstood-tMKQIlYL1PBfHFQ What's a boundary you're committing to before the year ends? 32This eBook is for every HR leader who's ever felt misunderstood, overextended, or undervalued.
HR leaders today are navigating tensions and dynamics that no one talks about. I spent 100+ hours coaching 5 Chief People Officers from 5 different companies in 2025, and the same themes kept coming up. So I decided to write a guide based on these raw, real conversations about power, purpose, and pressure in the top HR seat. This eBook covers four themes. Each chapter stands alone. Start wherever you need it most: Strategy - How to shift from “fixer” to “architect” Executive Team Dynamics - The invisible coaching work you're already doing and how to speak up without diluting your message Culture - Why culture is a reflection of “what leadership tolerates” and what to do about toxic top performers everyone protects Emotional Labor - The weight you're carrying, the boundaries you need, and why caring better (not less) is the answer This is for every HR leader who's ever felt misunderstood, overextended, or undervalued. And if you know a CPO who needs to hear this, please share it with them, too. After you read it, come back and tell me: What chapter hit home? What are you taking into 2026? 102The Hardest 30 Seconds of Every Coaching Session
I ask my clients to share one thing they’re grateful for. And almost every time, I’m met with silence. These are brilliant CEOs, CPOs, and CHROs. People who can dissect complex org structures, navigate board dynamics, and make million-dollar decisions without blinking. But when I ask about gratitude, they struggle. One CEO told me last month, "Adam, this is honestly the hardest part of our sessions." I don’t think this is because my clients don't have good things happening, but because their minds are so consumed with business problems that pausing to see what IS working feels foreign. We’re wired to spot problems. Scan for risks. See the fire before anyone smells smoke. This is literally what makes leaders successful. But here's the thing—when problem-spotting becomes your only lens, it becomes your culture. Your team starts scanning for what's wrong because that's what gets attention. What gets rewarded. What feels safe to share. And slowly, the entire culture tilts toward the negative. Gratitude isn't fluff. It's neuroscience. It activates your brain's dopamine pathways—the same ones tied to motivation and decision-making. Leaders who practice it are rated more trustworthy and approachable, which builds the psychological safety that drives innovation. The fix isn't complicated. But it requires intention. Try this experiment in your next 1:1: Start with: "Tell me something that's going well." Not as a throwaway warm-up question. As a genuine curiosity about what's working. Watch what happens when your team realizes you notice the good, not just the gaps. My question for you: What's one thing going well in your organization right now that you haven't acknowledged yet? Drop it in the comments. Let's practice this together. 31Can we all agree on something? HR leadership is lonely.
No one else really gets it. Not your executive team. Not your board. Not your spouse. Not your friends. None of them feel the weight you feel. The weight of secrets. The painful, confidential information you carry. Stories of mental health crises, harassment, and even crime. The weight of being the first to the CPO role, with no proven playbooks or frameworks to lean on. The weight of the role itself being new, compared to long-established executive titles like COO and CFO. The weight of the duality of being in executive-level conversations about layoffs and reorgs, and then immediately stepping into leading your own team. The weight of leading a cross-organizational function, where your role touches every single department and team. And what do we do? We hold it. We carry it. Alone. What if we changed that? What if we got honest about what this really feels like? So let’s be real with each other. Let’s discuss: What would you tell your executive team if you could be completely honest about what this role feels like? Who in your network has become your unofficial sounding board, and how did you find them? What assumption do people make about HR leadership that you wish you could correct? 2530
