Learn how to be an Indispensable HR Leader from Top CHROs

A key trait of a great CEO is the ability to enlist a team of trusted executives who will successfully fulfill his or her vision for the company. One of those key people is the CHRO. Glassdoor’s 2017 Highest Rated CEOs are no exception to this rule.

For example, Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta knows his organization of 350,000 employees across nearly 5000 properties in 104 countries wouldn’t be successful without oversight from his CHRO, Matthew Schuyler. On working with Schuyler, Nassetta told us, “I start every day by talking to Matt (the CHRO) about people, about culture, about purpose, about lots of different things that are going on in our organization. Over my years of being a CEO, HR has become the key enabler of what I’m trying to do. I view him as a partner in this business in making sure everybody is rallied around our purpose.”

This partnership between the CEO and HR is just as strong in other organizations we spoke to. Here are some inspirational quotes from our interviews with CHROs at companies whose CEO landed our 2017 Highest Rated CEO list.

Make recruiting the #1 job for leaders

Matthew Schuyler, CHRO, Hilton

“We need to be really great at recruiting talent. That we believe is the number one job of our leaders is to recruit great talent. The number one line job if you would. Once you recruit great talent then introduce them through recruitment process and ultimately the onboarding process, the strategy, the mission, the vision, the priorities of company, our values is where leadership sort of kicks in. Recruit and then motivate through our shared values and purpose.”

Carry on the founder’s intention

Dina Bernasse, SVP Human Resources, Cheesecake Factory

“One of the things that is definitely unique about the Cheesecake Factory is our most senior leaders model the culture. They set the example for leaders throughout the rest of the company. There is a palpable difference when you come to meetings here or when you interact with our leaders here. You can tell they are from the Cheesecake Factory. It’s that passion. It’s that commitment. There’s a real relationship focus, and that is I think somewhat from David [Overton] being the founder CEO. It feels like a second family. He has worked hard to do that for us and I think we all feel a responsibility to carry that on.”

Give employees big opportunities to grow

Ken Cooper, Global Head of Human Resources, Bloomberg L.P.

“Mike (CEO Michael Bloomberg) gives employees an incredible amount of responsibility and the opportunity to work on some very important projects, often early on in their careers at Bloomberg. Our employees feel empowered when they complete these projects, because they realize how they've accomplished more than they ever believed they could.”

Hyper-focus on the mission to build culture

VP of HR Brian Bjelde, SpaceX

“The culture at SpaceX is a reflection of our extraordinary team. What I believe makes SpaceX unique is that people here believe in the mission and are driven to make it a reality. No matter what your role is, we’re all connected to the long-term mission and every contribution counts. Whether we’re gathering to watch a launch together, celebrating big wins, or sharing the pain of a failure, it affects us all and there is a strong sense of camaraderie. This hyper-focus and alignment of incredibly talented people is a powerful force and a key element of our culture.”

Keep the CEO updated on the organization and the community

Dan Spaulding, VP of People, Zillow Group

“I think HR is always uniquely positioned to tell a CEO what is happening in two areas that are of importance to all CEOs. The first is what is happening in their own organization. We've always got access to people and data that help to paint a pretty compelling narrative for a CEO of what is going on within their organization. As HR professionals we've [also] got access to the trends and issues in the communities that surround the workplace, whether that’s conversations about diversity and inclusion, what’s going from a market competitiveness standpoint in terms of compensation, or even just what our competitors are doing from an HR standpoint.”

Err on the side of transparency

Kerry Bessey, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering

“Err on the side of transparency and give as much information as you can, because if people don’t have information, they will imagine something or make something up to fill in the gaps. Often that is far more negative than what the absolute truth is. Even if you have a negative message, employees will respect the fact that you are being straightforward and transparent with them.”

Look to Glassdoor for ways to be better

Kirsten Marriner, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Clorox

“Glassdoor helps us in understanding what people are thinking about, what they're experiencing, what they're feeling and then how that translates to what we need to do as an organization to continue to get better. We do believe in continuous improvement. We're always looking for ways that we can continue to be better.”

A spot on Glassdoor's Highest Rated CEOs list is the ultimate validation that CEOs have the support of their people – and it’s often awarded companies whose CEOs work in lockstep with their CHROs. So, learn from these great leaders to up your management game and help your own CEOincrease his or her chance of securing a spot next year.