When Culture Is the Strategy: Lessons from Elite Leaders in HR

When Culture Is the Strategy: Lessons from Elite Leaders in HR

May 5, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving role of CHROs and the importance of culture in organizational strategy through insights from industry leaders.

The CHRO role has been quietly transforming — not in the gradual, incremental way of most professional evolution, but in a sharp, compressed shift that has redrawn what it means to lead people inside a major organization. The question is no longer whether HR belongs in the room where strategy gets made. The question is whether HR leaders are ready for what that actually demands. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with three accomplished voices in the field: Maxine Carrington, Chief People Officer at Northwell Health, Bill Strahan, EVP of Human Resources at Comcast, and John Touey, Managing Partner of Trilogy Talent Advisors. The result is one of the most candid and substantive conversations about the CHRO role you're likely to hear. From Functional to Enterprise Leader - The CHRO has moved from managing the competition for talent to sitting alongside the CFO and COO in the highest-stakes business decisions; John Touey explains why this shift has fundamentally changed what boards are asking for. Culture as an Enabling Force - Maxine Carrington makes the case that culture isn't a feeling or a values poster — it's the infrastructure that allows organizations to move fast, absorb shock…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Kirschner

Guests: Maxine Carrington, Bill Strahan, John Touey

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northwell Health, Comcast, Trilogy Talent Advisors

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