Good morning!

Today, we're taking a look at the career path from CHRO to CEO. Also in this issue:

💼 Succession planning tops list of HR leader concerns
🌐 HR teams adapt to rapidly evolving roles and skills
🪇 Tips for making holiday celebrations more inclusive

Here's a look at what we're seeing, what it means, what we're anticipating, what's resonating and what you think about today’s workplace. Let's get SMART!

Chief human resources officers rarely ascend to CEO roles, despite their broad organizational insight and strategic involvement, according to Heidrick & Struggles. Only 16 CEOs among the 1,000 largest US companies have HR backgrounds. "For too long, CHRO and CPO roles have been miscast as operational or administrative when in reality they are the only seats with a true 360-degree view of the company, driving strategy, mission, culture, risk, performance and people," says Tami Rosen, chief development officer and a board member at Pagaya.

Succession planning has emerged as the top concern for HR leaders, with 66% of surveyed decision-makers identifying it as their primary pain point and 25% expressing intense anxiety over the issue. Frequent turnover in the C-suite and planned executive departures within the next three years are amplifying these concerns. Research highlights that CHROs play a crucial role in succession planning, particularly by shaping selection criteria and objectively assessing candidates, which leads to stronger outcomes.

HR professionals are increasingly expected to manage roles such as AI governance, ethical tech decisions and workforce design, which require skills not traditionally taught, writes Diane Hamilton. To address this, HR leaders recommend continuous learning through short, frequent sessions to build confidence and adaptability.

Making workplace holiday celebrations inclusive is essential to ensure all employees feel recognized and appreciated, writes Steve Sonnenberg, CEO of Awardco. Sonnenberg suggests focusing on gratitude, choosing nonreligious dates, using inclusive decorations and offering a variety of food and beverages.

People skills are traditionally undervalued at some companies. What has been your experience?

As always, let me know if there's a subject area or topic you want to see covered more. 

If you like CHRO, hate CHRO or want to submit a story, email me at nina.snyder@futurenet.com. The kindest compliment you can pay CHRO SmartBrief is to send this link to your friends and colleagues so they can subscribe. Thanks!