Why HR Leaders Get Shut Down in CFO Meetings (And What to Do Months Before)
The Business of Alignment · 2026-05-08 · 9 min
Episode notes
Most HR leaders walk into CFO meetings already losing. Not because they lack the data, but because the work that should have happened months earlier never did. In this episode, AJ Vaughan answers a question from Denzel about what CHROs are actually rehearsing, avoiding, and feeling the night before they sit across from finance. The honest answer: the night before is the wrong place to start. AJ breaks down the pre-work most HR leaders are skipping. The strategic pockets with the CRO. The L &D conversations that never happen. The macro lens on the tech stack, the tools, and the human capability data sitting unused inside the business. The mentorship relationship with revenue leaders could generate six to seven figures if HR actually leaned in. This one is for the HR leader who is tired of being treated like a cost center, and for the CFO who keeps wondering why the people function never speaks their language. What is actually happening inside HR right now? What matters most before you walk into that meeting? What to do tomorrow. And what most HR leaders miss entirely. Listen now.
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