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Stepping into the chief human resources officer (CHRO) role marks one of the most pivotal transitions in an HR leader’s career. The first 100 days set the tone for credibility and long-term impact. To help new CHROs navigate this critical period, Equilar collected perspectives from experienced CHROs, who shared their candid reflections and advice.
One of the first challenges new CHROs face is assimilating into the C-suite and gaining a clear understanding of organizational priorities. This transition involves navigating new relationships with executives, understanding the company culture and determining expectations in this new role. New CHROs must assess how HR can best achieve those strategic objectives from day one.
Developing a strong relationship with key stakeholders and the CEO will set the trajectory for everything that follows. Katie Lawler, SVP and CHRO at Illinois Tool Works, emphasizes, “It’s easy to get out of step if you don’t have clarity on your near-term objectives and you instead start chasing bright shiny objects.” Achieving this alignment with the CEO requires a better understanding of the company’s business framework.
Not every change needs to happen within the first 100 days. This period should be treated as a deliberate calibration phase:
Understand the new environment
Assess the dynamics of the executive team and the broader organization
Uncover the untold norms and gather insights
Build relationships with key stakeholders
Thoughtfully listen and ask the right questions
Establish credibility with selective quick wins
The first 100 days should be treated as a learning period, one that prioritizes observation and intentional pacing. Meaningful execution typically begins after early learnings are synthesized, often beyond the 100-day mark.
To sustain long-term momentum, Lawler cautions new CHROs to resist the urge to add too much value too quickly. She advises to “First crawl, walk and then run. Continue looking for the quick wins, but don’t overpromise anything and underdeliver.” Moving too quickly or making decisions before fully grasping the underlying goals can create avoidable problems down the line.
I wish someone would have told me to pace myself. I did not need to do everything all at once, but it was more important to be present. I did not need all the answers at the beginning but instead pacing to be present would have revealed things that took me too long to learn."
Don’t feel like you need to know everything and risk trying to add too much value too quickly. Don’t get pressured into having answers because you can’t jump to solutions before you fully understand what the opportunity is.”
The first 100 days are about building the foundation for future success. It's a journey with no deadline. CHROs should approach it as an evolution. Focus on building the foundational understanding and relationships needed to craft a multi-year go-forward plan.”
Success in the first 100 days also hinges on building the right strategic relationships that enable long-term impact.
The CEO relationship sits at the center. “The CEO should see the CHRO as a partner and a confidant advisor, and that relationship is critical to maintaining momentum and performance of the entire C-suite,” explains Jessica DeLorenzo, CHRO at Kimball Electronics. Because CHROs often manage the organization’s most sensitive issues, including leadership behavior and talent risks to culture, deep trust with the CEO allows for candid conversations that safeguard long-term health. Lawler adds, “Visible support from the CEO will translate into your credibility with the board and your executive leadership team colleagues.”
Developing a strong relationship with the board is also essential. Even though CHROs have traditionally had fewer interactions with the board, the relationship should still be nurtured. When the board has confidence in the CHRO, it reinforces their credibility within the C-suite to guide executive compensation, succession planning and broader people strategy.
The CHRO is the board’s management liaison on all things talent, compensation and culture."
The relationship with the compensation committee chair, in particular, is critical. As DeLorenzo explains, “The committee chair will rely on a strong CHRO to give advice, raise concerns and carry messages back to the C-suite for alignment.” Equally important is establishing a close working relationship with the compensation committee’s external compensation consultant, who often partners closely with the committee and plays an influential role in shaping pay discussions.
When it comes to the first 100 days, Lawler shares that these relationships take time to cultivate, especially since trust and credibility don’t happen overnight. She advises new CHROs to “Be purposeful and proactive in spending time with key stakeholders throughout your first year. You can get very busy once you’re onboarded, but you need to be strategic in managing your time and calendar.”
If you can convince these important stakeholders to give you regular time, it is a win for long-term relationship building."
Establishing credibility means being an objective and thoughtful partner to the executive team."
For many first-time CHROs, an early hurdle is learning how to contribute in a room full of seasoned executives. Rather than reshaping themselves to mirror others, new CHROs should be clear on what they uniquely bring to the table and what success in the role looks like. They should lean into the strengths and perspectives that earned them the role in the first place.
To build that confidence, Lawler emphasizes the value of foundational HR expertise, especially in executive compensation, as a way for new CHROs to engage in early conversations. “You don’t need to be an expert,” she explained. “But you need to be confident enough in executive compensation plans and programs during your first compensation committee meeting.”
In that same vein, Tracy Ting, SVP and CHRO at Encore Capital Group, highlighted the value of understanding the business through financial metrics. Drawing from her finance background, she notes that reviewing quarterly and monthly business reports and asking for board materials can give CHROs a more comprehensive view of the company, strengthening their ability to engage in cross-functional conversations.
“Talk to all levels of the company, from new hires to the long-tenured employees,” explained Ting. “Establish an understanding of the company through different eyes.”
Furthermore, the CHRO role requires absorbing a large amount of information about the culture, workforce and business in a short amount of time. Culture lives in the behaviors and unwritten norms that guide how work gets done at the company. Understanding the organization’s culture is foundational to shaping talent and influencing leadership decisions. Having the right resources early on can significantly accelerate a new CHRO’s ability to diagnose organizational needs.
Much of the first 100 days is about understanding how the organization runs through an employee’s eyes. Employee feedback is especially revealing if the CHRO is able to listen between the lines and parse out the underlying themes. These insights help CHROs identify early priorities and uncover opportunities that better align the company’s culture with its broader business strategy. It is also important to understand cultural nuances, including where there is an appetite for change and where there is not.
If you see a disconnect between the organization, its leaders and the culture, this becomes an appropriate issue for HR leaders to address."
Because clarity around an existing culture varies widely across organizations, new CHROs must develop a firm understanding of both the stated culture and how it manifests in practice. Reviewing employee demographics, engagement trends and turnover data can surface patterns that help inform where change is needed and what the next steps should be.
One key focus in the first 100 days is gaining a clear understanding of the organization’s unspoken cultural norms. They should look out for it or ask about the absolute no-nos. If you don’t intentionally ask for it, you have to infer it, which is not advised."
There is significant value in reviewing both annual and long-term business plans to understand how the company’s strategy has evolved. This review can help identify gaps in succession and leadership development, assess current HR priorities and determine whether those efforts are aligned with the company’s broader strategic goals. It also helps CHROs evaluate whether the HR organization is focused on the right initiatives and where opportunities exist to better support the business.
The CHRO role sits at the intersection of culture and strategy. In the first 100 days, success comes not from rapid changes, but from listening and building trusted relationships that enable long-term influence.
“CHROs should hold themselves accountable for being a business leader first and HR leader second,” said Ting. “Enter the role with a clear vision of what success looks like and focus on learning how to maximize it during the onboarding transition.”
By pacing strategically, investing intentionally in relationships and establishing clear alignment with culture and company priorities, new CHROs can set the tone for a tenure led by profound impact.
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