Viewing CHRO traits through the lens of the five elements

The ancients in China used the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water — as well as their relationships to one another — to explain the interconnections and balance between things or phenomena. I believe this framework can help illuminate the personal and professional qualities necessary at each stage of a CHRO’s journey, with wood and water representing critical personal traits, and metal, fire and earth symbolizing the capabilities CHROs need to demonstrate at different stages. Applying the five elements theory, here are ways to think about the qualities CHROs need and questions to ask candidates when interviewing to understand their strengths in these areas.

1. Wood: Persistent progress, personal engagement

Wood symbolizes growth and upward movement, the starting point of the five elements. An excellent CHRO needs to demonstrate a strong sense of mission and motivation to achieve. Refusing to admit defeat, they must be able to proactively step outside their comfort zone and drive their own growth. This is the first step to grasp during the recruitment process.

Leaders with these qualities are driven by mission and values and have an intrinsic sense of responsibility. They proactively face challenges and learn through action. We know from the five elements theory that "strong wood benefits from fire, which transforms its stubbornness." An excellent CHRO also needs to encounter environments that push their limits or even adversity to release their potential.

This makes me think of former Google CHRO Laszlo Bock. Born in Romania, he came to the United States as a child when his parents decided to defect and apply for asylum to escape Ceaușescu's political oppression. He writes in his book Work Rules!, “If your goals are ambitious and crazy enough, even failure will be a pretty good achievement.”

When interviewing CHRO candidates, ask questions that get at their values, sense of accountability and self-drive:

• Please talk about people or events that have had a profound influence on your character and values. What prompted you to change your views on certain matters?
• Talk about your experience managing a challenging project or task and how you ensured its successful completion.
• What is a specific example of when you took the initiative to learn a skill or increase your knowledge? What motivated you to take action? What was the final outcome?

2. Metal: Soft outside, strong inside

Metal is not necessarily rigid, but rather strong, restrained, refined, sensitive and delicate — an apt model for a CHRO in their first year on the job when the focus is on building trust with the CEO and C-suite leaders. As one CHRO told me, “Parachuted in for a year, then out. The hardest part wasn't communicating with the boss, but with the rest of the C-suite.”

CHROs in their first year should draw on the power of keen observation — making sense out of the unique culture of the organization and dynamics between leaders and teams and how their own style, experience and knowledge fits. They have to deliver quickly to advance ambitious goals and gradually build their influence.

When thinking about how a CHRO will perform at this stage, ask questions getting at their powers of observation and their ability to influence others and execute.

• In your past work experience, what situations have you encountered that seemed chaotic but actually harbored opportunities? How did you capture these opportunities?
• When facing ambiguous, contradictory or even "impossible-to-achieve" goals, how did you ensure you could deliver results?
• Please share a specific example of driving decisions and building consensus in a high-pressure work environment.

3. Fire: Spark that ignites change

Fire can be like a warm hearth, gentle yet powerful, persistent, illuminating details and capable of creating enormous energy. The beauty of fire lies in its ability to "illuminate without contention," like starlight in the night sky, borrowing momentum to spread far and wide. Similarly, excellent CHROs should position themselves, in their first two years, as both a key partner to the business and a continuous driver of change.

These CHROs bring a business partner mindset, grasping the rhythms and needs of the business, supporting the quick and effective implementation of business strategies, and solving practical problems. They foster an open mindset and ground the work of the HR function in the needs of the business. CHROs also should embrace their role in fostering culture-driven change, helping to create an environment based on trust and cooperation that helps the team and company grow together. They ignite team enthusiasm through emotional resonance, stimulating other leaders’ intrinsic motivation, gradually enhancing the team's overall spirit and helping the organization to continuously perceive the results of change.

Questions that get at candidates’ capabilities as a business partner, value creator and culture leader can illuminate how a CHRO will perform at this stage.

• When facing situations where there was a conflict between the business and HR, how did you balance business priorities, professional judgment and organizational interests? What was the final outcome?
• HR tools, processes and frameworks are sometimes viewed by business leaders as formalistic or out of touch. Have you encountered such challenges? In your practice, how did you ensure professional tools truly landed and won recognition from the business?
• Cultural change is typically easier said than done, often stalling when superficial efforts don’t translate into action. When leading cultural change, how did you turn abstract concepts into employees' daily behaviors and the organization's actual operations?

4. Earth: Pressure-resistant and practical

Earth symbolizes stability and depth, towering like a mountain with profound implications, serving as the commander of all things. An excellent CHRO, in their first three years, needs to demonstrate a practical work style and proactive responsibility, dedicated to establishing and improving HR systems, laying a solid foundation for the organization and promoting steady progress in complex environments.

Facing external pressures and internal challenges, these leaders are proactive, courageous and embrace responsibility for addressing issues that arise. They don’t leave themselves an “escape route." They are pragmatic and results oriented, focusing on core objectives and long-term impact — in HR strategic planning as well as in the design and execution of systems, processes and mechanisms. They think in terms of systems building, providing a solid foundation for the organization's sustainable development through effective HR systems and processes.

To get at how a CHRO will perform in these areas, ask questions that get at candidates’ strength under pressure, pragmatism and ability to build systems.

• When faced with complex situations and heavy pressure, how did you remain calm and find appropriate solutions?
• Please discuss an HR system-building or process-optimization project you led, including the implementation process and the results.

5. Water: Formless and nourishing

Water, like dew or gentle rain, nourishes silently. It represents flexibility, inclusiveness and wisdom. An excellent CHRO focuses more on people rather than mechanically following process-oriented approaches. In this way, they both execute against the needs of the business and serve as an adviser, culture shaper and organizational adhesive.

These CHROs possess extreme openness and elasticity, adapting to the "boundaryless" state of work and the variations in HR management scope in different environments and working effectively with people of different backgrounds, personalities and values. They are skilled at listening and observing, empathetic and are attuned to emotional changes on the team and implicit conflicts within the organization. They have the emotional intelligence and strategic thinking skills to reconcile conflicts and promote long-term development-oriented decisions from the CEO and management. They dare to express their own positions and ideas rather than merely agreeing with the boss, even "filling in" for the business at crucial moments.

To understand how candidates will contribute in this way, ask questions that get at their elasticity, emotional intelligence and empathy.

• When facing cross-departmental conflicts without precedent, how do you drive resolution among peers?
• Please describe a situation where you discovered organizational risks through informal channels and intervened in advance.
• Please give an example of how you used non-confrontational methods to get the boss to reconsider a decision you believed would harm the organization's long-term interests.

• • •

I hope this five-step assessment framework derived from Eastern wisdom serves as a valuable reference for CHRO recruitment, helping you find the ideal CHRO who can lead continuous organizational growth, drive change and achieve lasting success.

The inspiration for this article comes from wisdom fragments gathered during long conversations with various CHROs. Thank you to all who were willing to openly discuss this topic with me.