No matter how approachable you are, I’ve found that the higher up you go—especially when you get into the CHRO role—people tell you more of what you want to hear versus what you really need to hear. My advice is to have a personal board of directors with people outside the company, inside the company, and in your own organization. [Find] people who are truth tellers; who can be ruthlessly honest about what you’re doing well and not doing so well.

Your CEO should be your right-hand person—and vice versa. You need to be in sync with your CEO, because if you're not, it's never going to work. Yes, you have to give them feedback. But if you don't believe in the core values and what they're trying to do for the company, then you can't serve the company well.

One of the things I underestimated in my first CHRO job was the unique dynamic that you have in managing your relationship with the CEO, your peers on the executive team, and the board. You have to be Switzerland, in some respects. You have to have trust and build credibility with your CEO. But you can't be viewed by your peers on the executive team as a mouthpiece for the CEO. I found that being very open in a discussion with those people about that —and the role I need to play with my peers, with my CEO and the board—helped manage those relationships.