CHRO as Talent Quarterback: Ernest Marshall on Succession, Strategy, and Building Your Team

In a wide-ranging conversation, HRPA Board Chair Tim Richmond and CEO Tim Bartl engaged Eaton CHRO Ernest Marshall on a variety of hot topics facing today’s HR heads. 

On his path to CHRO, Mr. Marshall credited the core values he was raised with—hard work, respect, and empathy—along with the skills and experience he gained through work as a labor lawyer, and in many roles through General Electric’s management training, as leading him to the field of HR where he could help “people realize their dreams and think about their careers in a different way.”

Highlights from the conversation:

• On skill acquisition: Experience working through other crises helped inform Marshall on how to approach COVID challenges. When COVID hit, it exposed HR leaders who didn’t get those fundamental experiences—people were looking to HR for solutions. When seeking new roles, Marshall advised, “Remember that the size of the corporation does not equal complexity. When moving from job to job, think about what new skills you want to learn.” The portfolio of skills and experiences is what leads to holistic leadership.

• On building your HR team: With respect to HR team roles and development, “I am very intentional on movement inside the organization. I ask, “Is this job good for you? What kind of development are you looking for? How do we put people in positions to give them experience? Certain roles aren’t as glamorous, but they can teach you to think on your feet and build relationships. Having an HR strategy and a really good HR team is the underpinning needed to put people in challenging roles. Sometimes we don’t say it enough, but it’s OK to find the limits of people’s potential—then we know how to place the right people in the right roles.

• On Tech: Eaton is an early HR adopter of AI systems. We are actively encouraging use and have created coursework. Our analytics team is helping to measure its impact on our competitive advantage – doing things faster and more efficiently. We have steering committee on AI that is looking at opportunities for AI integration across the organization and evaluating its impact on certain bodies of work.

• On DEI: CHROs have the opportunity to control the narrative of their companies. You have company values and know what you stand for. Don’t make it plain vanilla—show what you care about. Don’t react in the moment. What is talked about by the media as “diversity” is not how our company approaches inclusion, belonging and talent. We hold values for everyone.

• On Eaton’s CEO transition: The Board leads the transition, but the CHRO is quarterbacking. It’s exciting to be part of the process and think about career progression, but it takes time.  We are starting to think about the next CEO even now, just as our new CEO takes his role.

  • Even more important than succession, is the transition. It is almost like starting over and can be challenging because you may have two bosses as CEOs overlap and you may not run the length of the incoming CEO. You need to think not only about the transition for the CEO but what it means for yourself.