By Jeffrey Hayzlett
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the true test of a leader isn’t a title or corner office. It’s leading through tough situations and things go sideways.
That’s why my recent conversation on All Business with Johnny C. Taylor Jr., President and CEO of SHRM, matters so much right now. Johnny is one of the most influential voices shaping how work actually gets done in this country, and when the pressure is on, he doesn’t shy away from it.
The last time Johnny and I talked; it was the early days of COVID. No playbook. No certainty. Fear everywhere. HR teams stepped up and rewrote how work happened almost overnight, and they didn’t get nearly enough credit for it. Johnny and his team at SHRM helped guide millions of leaders through that chaos, and frankly, many businesses would’ve been dead in the water without it.
Fast forward to today, and Johnny is leading through another firestorm this time with SHRM itself under intense scrutiny. And what struck me most wasn’t the controversy, but how he’s led through it.
Leadership Isn’t About Avoiding the Hit, It’s About Taking It
When the verdict hit against SHRM, Johnny didn’t sugarcoat how it felt. He talked openly about getting that call, the knot in his stomach, the weight of what it meant not just for him, but for the HR profession and the people SHRM represents.
That’s leadership. And to some degree, we’ve all had those moments that shake us to our core.
Too many executives pretend they don’t feel it. News flash: your people know when you’re faking it. What they’re watching for is whether you show up anyway (and how you show up).
Johnny shared a lesson he learned directly from President George W. Bush after 9/11: project calm. Not false confidence. Not spin. Calm rooted in conviction.
That’s what leaders are paid to do.
Values Don’t Get Written During a Crisis
One of the most important takeaways from this conversation was simple: you don’t invent your values when trouble hits. You either have them, or you don’t.
Johnny talked about SHRM’s guiding principles and how they were established long before this moment. Integrity. Clarity. Conviction. And a culture where people are expected to challenge leadership, make decisions based on data, and then commit.
That matters.
Because when values are real — not framed posters on the wall — they become an anchor. They steady the culture when rumors fly, when fear creeps in, and when people start questioning what’s next.
HR Isn’t a Partner to the Business, It Is the Business
I’ll admit it: I’ve butted heads with HR plenty of times. Usually because I’m a Mack truck inside an organization. But here’s the truth Johnny made crystal clear — modern HR isn’t support staff anymore.
In a knowledge-based economy, talent is the business. I concur with that statement – your people are your best asset.
Every CEO’s decision starts and ends with people. Hiring. Culture. Succession. Skills. Retention. Even the CEO role itself is an HR decision. When companies fail to understand that they don’t just struggle with people problems, they lose competitively.
Johnny put it best: your talent game is your business game.
What Leaders Need to Prepare for Now
Looking ahead, Johnny outlined three areas every CEO and CHRO should be focused on right now:
- Culture clarity. Not just “good culture,” but alignment. Skills don’t matter if values don’t match.
- Healthcare costs. This isn’t an HR issue; it’s a business threat that’s crushing margins and employees alike.
- Upskilling and reskilling. AI is coming fast, and pretending jobs won’t change is irresponsible leadership.
The shelf-life of a job today is short. Stability is gone. Agility is a not so new requirement but essential, nonetheless. Leaders who can’t accept that reality are going to struggle and so will their people.
The Bottom Line
What I learned from Johnny C. Taylor Jr. is something I’ve believed in my entire career: when the heat is on, values are the only thing that holds.
Markets change. Technology accelerates. Crises come whether you invite them or not. But leaders who are rooted in strong values, clear principles, and real accountability don’t flinch. They lead.
That’s how business gets done.
And that’s why conversations like this matter, right here on All Business. Watch the full conversation with Johnny on C-Suite TV.
