How can HR leaders actually move decisions at the top?
Human resources leaders are spending more time in the boardroom – but are not always shaping what happens there.
The remit of the chief people officer (CPO) is expanding rapidly. A recent Hays report found that 85% of CPOs in Australia and New Zealand are actively seeking to upskill as their role stretches beyond traditional HR – particularly in influencing high‑stakes decisions and providing strategic leadership at the top table.
At the same time, boards are grappling with skills shortages, culture risk, and mounting regulatory scrutiny. Against this backdrop, directors are increasingly turning to CHROs and senior HR executives for guidance.
Yet deep expertise in people and culture is only part of the equation. What ultimately shapes outcomes is influence – how leaders show up, how clearly they are heard, and the degree of trust directors place in their judgement.
Influence at the top
Leadership adviser Mark Nevins has described strong boardroom presence as the combination of confidence, clarity, and authenticity that signals to directors the organisation is in capable hands.
In his Forbes article on improving boardroom presence, he argued that leaders must be able to read the room, adapt to shifting expectations, and communicate with conviction if they want their recommendations to carry weight at the table.
For HR, this means the function is increasingly expected to be seen not just as the voice of people and culture, but as a strategic leadership role in its own right.
According to governance adviser Scott Baldwin, "having influence in the boardroom gives you the ability to change hearts, minds, and behaviour."
It is "a difficult challenge that all leaders face," he wrote in The Savvy Director blog. Influence, he argued, is not a function of job title or chequebook, but about the impact words have in the room.
For HR professionals, the question becomes a practical one: how can people insight be converted into board decisions that actually stick?
Understanding influence
Baldwin and communication expert Lauren Sergy make the point that "you don't need power if you can influence those who have it."
They argue new or less powerful directors should first "observe and show interest in everyone else" rather than rushing to "stake out their territory and make their mark right away." That kind of early assertiveness, Sergy warned, "can be interpreted as being presumptuous or overly disruptive."
For new HR leaders, the same logic applies. Early meetings effectively become reconnaissance. It is critical to watch "who interacts with whom, who is able to sway other people's views, who has power, and who has influence."
Those informal power maps reveal whose questions redirect discussion on culture, or whose doubts can stall a major people investment.
"Understanding those chains of influence in a group is key. Understanding those social dynamics allows you to maneuver and get your ideas across more easily," Sergy said.
Sergy further defined influence as "the ability to 'pre-suade.'"
"Essentially, it's your reputation preceding you. It's the ethos that you carry with the people you interact with, that makes them inclined to go along with whatever you say, even before they hear it," Sergy said.
She stressed: "It's more about how you say it than what you say."
For an HR leader, that might be the difference between, "We were thinking we could possibly pilot this new leadership programme?" and, "We recommend piloting this programme in two divisions this year." Same content, different influence.
Emotional intelligence as a board skill
Corporate director Deborah Rosati wrote that in her 20 years on boards she has learned "it is not so much what you know, but rather how you say it."
She described training her emotional intelligence at the table, "paying attention to everything from verbal communication, to body language, tone of voice, and social graces."
Drawing on Daniel Goleman, Rosati cited emotional intelligence as "the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you."
She highlighted self‑awareness, self‑regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills as critical for effective directors – and by extension, for HR executives who want to shape board decisions.
Self‑awareness helps leaders notice when they are "too busy talking and not doing enough listening."
One board chair quoted by Rosati advised, "You should be the last to speak… listen empathetically, solicit other points of view, and be the most prepared, even though you don't talk the most."
Rosati further suggested that if a leader is overwhelmed by emotion on a topic, "instead of impulsively speaking out on your feelings, try remaining silent for five seconds."
"By waiting five seconds before speaking on high emotion, it gives you a moment to cool down and for the impulse to subside," Rosati added.
"My best piece of advice in exercising self-regulation is that rather than acting on impulse, it's far more effective to observe others' behaviours and find a different time/place to have discussions that concern a difference of opinion."
Trust as the real currency
Baldwin and Sergy are explicit that "influence is cultivated. It's the cultivation of trust."
"There's a period of time when people decide whether you'll keep their trust," they said.
Trust with the board builds when HR leaders consistently surface people‑related risks early, present balanced options, and follow through. Influence flows when directors know they will hear what they need to hear, not just what management hopes they will approve.
Tone also matters, according to The Savvy Director article.
"While board questions should be persistent, incisive, and direct, they must also be respectful and collaborative. Otherwise, trust is damaged. And you can't have influence in the boardroom without trust," it said.
Practical plays for HR
The most effective HR influencers treat each board cycle as a process, not just a meeting.
Before meetings, they invest time in understanding "the group's values," including the informal etiquette around challenge, risk, and dissent.
They meet key directors one‑to‑one to test framing: does a culture proposal resonate more strongly when linked to regulatory expectations, talent attraction, or brand?
They look for chances to "spin the conversation to other people" in Sergy's words, because "we like people who like us" – and that positive regard later spills over to their ideas.
In the boardroom, the most effective HR influencers frame items in terms of the decision required and the trade‑offs involved, not just the HR work done.
They link people issues relentlessly to strategy, risk, and value. Contributions vary: at times detailed and technical, at other moments stepping back to ask, "What level of culture risk are we, as a board, prepared to accept here?"
After meetings, they close the loop quickly on information requests and changes agreed. When boards hesitate, this is treated not as rejection but as a brief: what evidence, scenario, or mitigation would make directors comfortable enough to move?
Ultimately, all three authors point to a simple truth: influence is built over time.
"That level naturally grows with experience and confidence. Making the decision to consciously work on it – that's key," The Savvy Director article read.
