Should CHROs replace CGOs?
The emergence of the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) was a way to “eliminate organizational silos and create a unified longer-term growth plan.” But since talent is the biggest growth obstacle for today’s companies, it has me wondering: Should Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) eliminate the need for CGOs in a modern company structure?
Let’s explore this a bit further. According to Vista Equity Partners, the CGO role has emerged as a way to “disrupt the status quo, dismantle silos, create seamless customer experiences, align a company for future growth, and optimize a business’ limited resources.” If this role is all about growth, and a lack of quality talent is standing in the way of that growth, shouldn’t this disruption be within the role of the CHRO to solve?
Initially as a replacement for, or addition to, the outdated Chief Marketing Officer, the CGO role was created to “reshape a company as a whole and reveal new pathways to growth from a customer and consumer perspective.” This reshaping is mission critical for today’s companies — but isn’t it a higher priority to win the war for talent? To meet demand that increasingly already exists?
With that said, armed with an understanding of macro and micro labor market trends, great relationship skills, and a talent supply chain approach, CHROs can earn their rightful seat in the C-suite — as both CHRO and CGO.
Gut check
How many CHROs, Chief People Officers, and Chief Talent Officers would raise their hand when asked if their company is 100% aligned, focused, seamless, and optimizing their limited resources around a disruptive talent strategy? Or would they admit that the comfortability of “the old way of doing things” is offsetting any real change?
In my advisory and board work, I have yet to see the change necessary in companies’ talent strategy. This is because it requires alignment in the C-suite and real discussions around the future of work. Discussions on…
- work automation to reduce/eliminate labor demand and costs
- the realities of the emerging workforce (and what they look for in their work)
- digital solutions for building worker capacity
- how to develop inclusion and belonging at work
- what investment is needed to disrupt their talent approach and win in the marketplace
These types of discussions ironically require the dismantling of silos, a vision toward seamless employee experience, and one unified goal to win — measured by headcount growth, employee engagement, and employee retention.
When these metrics are as important as new sales, client engagement, and client retention, growth is inevitable.
-Teresa
