With a career spent in executive roles at high-growth organizations like Skillshare and DraftKings, Lauren Tropeano has learned precisely what skills, structures and priorities are most critical for HR leaders.
“The CPO role has evolved significantly over the past few years and will evolve even further in the next few years,” says Tropeano. She currently serves as chief people officer at Toronto-based Docebo, an educational technology company that allows organizations to manage, deliver and track online training.
What will not change, no matter the disruption, is that people are at the heart of the function. “AI will continue to accelerate change. Skills will continue to evolve. Organizations will continue to transform. The leaders who align strategy with human potential and treat adaptability as a competitive advantage will define the future of this role,” says Tropeano. In conversation with StrategicCHRO, she shares her best practices for HR leaders.
Based on your career in high-growth organizations, what capabilities are now most critical for CPOs, and what advice would you give HR leaders stepping into more strategic roles?
The CPO role has evolved significantly over the past few years and will evolve even further in the next few years, especially as work gets completely refactored. Today, it is as much about leading change as it is about leading people. High-growth and rapidly transforming environments demand leaders who can balance human readiness with strategic priorities. Most importantly, the people function cannot sit adjacent to the business. It must be embedded in it.
The most critical capabilities for CPOs are business fluency, translating strategy into human impact, operating comfortably in ambiguity, and having the courage to make tough decisions while advocating for long-term workforce investment.
In transforming environments, my advice to HR leaders is simple. Stay close to the business, but never lose sight of the human variable. Understand the revenue model, the growth priorities and the operational realities. At the same time, build the environments where people can adapt, grow, enjoy work and ultimately perform at their best.
AI will continue to accelerate change. Skills will continue to evolve. Organizations will continue to transform. The leaders who align strategy with human potential and treat adaptability as a competitive advantage will define the future of this role.
Many companies are using AI, but mostly for basic tasks. What people-related barriers are preventing more transformational impact, and what should HR leaders prioritize to move beyond surface-level adoption?
AI adoption is rarely a technology problem. It’s a human readiness problem.
Most organizations introduce tools without creating the conditions for people to rethink how work actually gets done. Without clarity, upskilling and permission to experiment, employees default to using AI for small efficiencies rather than meaningful transformation.
If we want AI to be transformational, HR leaders need to prioritize three things: continuous skill development, psychological safety and narrative. People need to build capability, but they also need to understand why this matters and how it benefits them personally.
When AI is positioned as something that enhances human potential rather than replaces it, adoption shifts from tactical to strategic. Transformation happens when people feel capable, supported and safe enough to work differently.
How can HR leaders practically build psychological safety and a culture of experimentation during major technology or business change? What behaviors or structures make the biggest difference?
Psychological safety starts with leadership behavior.
Employees pay close attention to how leaders respond to uncertainty, mistakes and new ideas. When leaders model curiosity, admit what they are still learning and reward thoughtful risk-taking, it signals that experimentation is not just allowed, it is expected.
Structures matter too. Dedicated time for experimentation, peer learning forums and recognition systems that value learning and iteration over perfection all reinforce the right behaviors. Managers are especially critical. They need the space and support to coach, listen and remove obstacles rather than simply drive output.
When managers focus on connection, psychological safety strengthens and experimentation becomes a natural part of how work gets done. Culture does not change because we say it does. It changes when the behaviors we reward make it safe to try, learn and try again.
As skills evolve faster than job titles, how should people leaders rethink development and career paths to help employees grow with new technologies rather than feel threatened by them?
We’re moving into a world where job titles no longer predict the work people actually do. AI and rapidly shifting business needs mean skills are the true currency of adaptability, and the “skills gap” is often just a symptom of a deeper enterprise adaptability gap. Organizations that can’t identify emerging skills, redeploy talent quickly or continuously align learning with changing work will leave employees anxious and unprepared.
Leaders need to shift their focus from linear career ladders to dynamic skill portfolios. That includes real-time skills visibility, fluid internal mobility and learning embedded directly in the flow of work. Stretch assignments, cross-functional projects and applied learning opportunities make adaptation tangible and meaningful.
Equally important is helping employees connect skill development to career growth. Without visibility into how new capabilities translate into opportunity, change feels threatening rather than empowering. When employees see that building skills opens doors for them personally, they approach technology and evolving roles with curiosity, confidence and momentum instead of fear. Development becomes a tool not just for keeping up, but for thriving in a constantly evolving workplace.
