We're counting down the top stories from 2025 -- as determined by you (and the rest of the CHRO SmartBrief readers.)

Today, we're looking at the top stories from the second quarter. Enjoy!

Improve collaboration among your team members by using a checklist developed by David Dye and Karin Hurt of Let's Grow Leaders that emphasizes sharing what you know with those who need the information, ensuring that they understand it and being aware of who is affected by decisions. "If you skip this step, you're likely to hit resistance later -- not because people don't support the decision, but because they weren't seen in it," Dye and Hurt write.

Resilience is lauded as a good trait for leaders, but it implies returning to a previous state of strength instead of growing stronger from adverse experiences -- something known as antifragility, writes Jennifer Lee, the president and co-CEO at Intradiem. Leaders and their companies can become antifragile by seeing uncertainty as a teacher, empowering teams to respond to changes quickly and identifying many pathways to success, Lee writes.

Women in the supply chain industry face barriers, including stereotypes and limited mentorship, although progress is being made, according to Gartner's 2024 Women in Supply Chain report, which shows women make up 40% of the workforce. Though 70% of organizations want to increase women leaders in the supply chain industry, less than 30% are taking accountable measures to reach this goal, which is why Lisa Backlin of Parts Town Unlimited emphasizes the importance of not only providing mentorship but also sponsorship, where leaders actively advocate for their mentees.

Large employers are increasingly considering Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements as an alternative to traditional health insurance, according to a report from ICHRA administrator SureCo report. ICHRAs allow employers to contribute pretax funds for employees to choose individual health plans, potentially reducing premiums by an average of 23%, SureCo CEO Matthew Kim said.

SmartBrief will not publish Thursday, Dec. 25, in observance of Christmas Day.