How to be a Chief People Officer: Enabling people in the evolving world of work (How to be a...)

Finalist in the Business Book of the Year 2024 awards!

The CPO role has finally taken its rightful place on the Executive Committee and people management is recognised as a true differentiator of success for modern organisations.

However, CPOs face a challenge. In a world of increasing regulation and litigation, and with greater expectations than ever of how organisations should support their people, the role risks being overwhelmed. Managers are drowning under the weight of people-related tasks, while staff demand ever more from their workplace. CEOs and Boards need everything done yesterday. Facing these pressures, people work, ironically, risks being de-humanised.

It’s time to bring humanity back to the workplace. It’s time to empower our managers and leaders, lighten the load, harness technology and bring back some agility and joy to this complex role.

Using a tried and tested framework, this book de-constructs the CPO role. It links people management to four core areas of Culture, Strategy, Execution and Sustainability. It guides the reader through seven stages of the end-to-end employee lifecycle. It breaks down seven HR Centres of Excellence. Moreover, it looks to the future of people management and how we can evolve from here.

This engaging, comprehensive book condenses almost 50 collective years of experience of working in and around people into a solid framework for the new or aspiring CPO. It is also a solid reference for Boards, Committees and all leaders who want to get the best from their people and position their organisations for success.