World-class HR leaders tighten the link between people strategy and measurable business outcomes, according to two top CHROs.

During a recent CHRO panel at Gartner’s HR Symposium, Lisa Bryant of Dow and Lynanne Kunkel of Vail Resorts laid bare a challenge facing HR: Too often, HR strategy and business goals run on parallel tracks instead of as one.

Workforce strategy should mirror business strategy

Bryant opened by noting Gartner research that found that 88% of CHROs see continuous transformation as essential to growth, yet only one in five CEOs rank workforce strategy in their top three priorities. Workforce strategy often gets separated from other business priorities, she said, but it is the engine that powers growth, productivity and transformation. “If we don’t align our HR priorities with business outcomes, we risk inefficiencies, talent shortages and missed opportunities,” she said.

Budget won’t come to the rescue of most orgs. In fact, 65% of HR leaders expect to experience financial cuts, according to Gartner data. To counter this, Bryant warned that HR cannot rely on soft metrics or persuasive speeches. Every initiative must be directly connected to business outcomes and measurable impact.

However, this might be a roadblock for some CHROs. Only one-third of HR leaders feel they communicate their impact effectively, according to Gartner research, sharpening the need for HR to act as business leaders, not just support functions. “World-class HR leadership is about strategic delivery, not just planning for it,” Bryant said.

Read more: Dow wins Best Workplace Culture HR Icons award at HR Tech

‘Ruthless prioritization’ is a CHRO’s friend

Kunkel responded by minimizing the notion that HR and business strategies can have competing priorities. For her, world-class CHRO success depends on co-leadership, ruthless prioritization and rigorous execution. Agility matters, but pace without alignment leads to chaos, she cautioned. HR must lead, not merely react, and focus on critical capabilities that will distinguish a company from its competition. “We drive the business strategy through our people expertise. We are the people experts. Let’s make sure that we lean into that,” she said.

Bryant then walked through how Dow, an HR Icons Best Workplace Culture award winner at HR Tech 2025, sharpened its HR strategy amid industry cycles. The HR team reorganized into a discipline-aligned model and subjected every initiative, from AI enablement to leadership development, to a lens of business outcome alignment. A governance framework enabled faster and smarter decisions tied to talent management. She said the result embedded HR in enterprise decision-making to pivot between near-term needs and long-term direction.

CHROs are business leaders

The approach required making difficult choices, Bryant said. Every initiative was evaluated for its direct impact on Dow’s business priorities, and the team had to shift away from activities that did not move the needle. Bryant put it this way: “No is a full sentence. It has the power to be strategic, and it’s not an indicator of failure.”

She framed the shift as not merely enabling business but as an act of co-leadership. “We are business leaders. We must clearly show how our work advances business,” Bryant said.

Kunkel reinforced the importance of discipline in execution. She emphasized that HR leaders need to focus on what truly matters, set clear non-negotiables and tie every initiative directly to outcomes.

Bryant laid out the stakes for HR leaders. “Every initiative, and I mean every initiative, [should go] through a lens of alignment. Everything from skills, strategy, AI enablement and leadership development. [These are] all evaluated for their direct impact on business priorities,” she said.