Self-care, writing, & multidimensional personas: The Chronicle of Philanthropy's CHRO on the art of HR leadership

What makes a CHRO or HR leader great?

There are, of course, a handful of fundamental skills and traits, from commercial acumen and consensus-building to compassion and authenticity. But for Angela Cheng-Cimini, Head of HR at The Chronicle of Philanthropy (formerly CHRO, Harvard Business Publishing), being a leader is a lifelong learning journey.

Carefully peeling back the layers of great people leadership in an interview with HR Grapevine, Cheng-Cimini offers advice for aspiring CHROs, from the importance of friendship and self-care to the underrated art of written communications.

What makes a successful CHRO?

To be an effective partner, you need to know how the organization runs, what its vulnerabilities are, who its competitors are, what the landscape looks like, and what skills are needed for success.

A successful CHRO understands the business in the same way that the CFO understands the numbers, or the marketing person understands the brand position.

Are there skills you’d say are crucial for success as a CHRO in 2025?

There are two power skills, formerly known as soft skills – I'm trying to change the language because I think power skills are what amplify more technical skills – compassion, and the ability to engage in constructive dialogue.

We sometimes get to a point in their career where we feel like we should have all the answers. There's a loss of vulnerability. But fortunately, oftentimes the people who do have the answers are sitting right in front of us.

The ability to pull the very best out of other folks around the table and then translate that into action with consensus and buying support… that’s a really powerful skill that CHROs need to focus on developing.

Have these core competencies shifted in the past five or ten years? Why or why not?

They’re evergreen. They've always been important. But I do think that recently, there's been much more focus on the power skills.

The fact that contemporary leadership today emphasizes those compassion, empathy, and authenticity signals a shift in employee expectations today.

They were not part of the leadership vernacular ten to 15 years ago, and certainly not 30 years ago when I first entered the workplace.