Chief executives increasingly recognize the positive impact that HR can have on talent attraction and retention, setting company culture, and defending the bottom line. Consequently, they are demanding more and more from their top C-suite HR leaders, particularly chief talent officers and CHROs, who are responding by elevating their functional performance to deliver more for the business.

What can CHROs do to set themselves — and their teams — up for success and deliver on the promise of an engaged, responsive, and strategic HR function?

According to a report by Heidrick & Struggles’ alumnus Brian Bark and managing partner Daniel Kaplan, the CHRO’s first priority must be to ensure that he or she has a skilled “top team” in four core areas: talent, total rewards, shared services, and business partners. Assembling this team requires CHROs to embrace expanded leadership within the department to establish a culture of performance excellence as well as identify and mentor promising candidates. READ MORE