Wolf&Grayson EditorialLeadership development today is far more complex than it used to be. Organizations are navigating constant transformation, disruptive technologies, and the challenges of leading multigenerational workforces. In this environment, traditional approaches to talent management fall short. Waveney Belle, an accomplished talent strategist with a unique cross-functional background spanning IT operations, risk management, and HR, offers a perspective shaped by direct exposure to board-level discussions. Her approach to talent strategy goes beyond conventional HR thinking, focusing on enterprise value creation and measurable business impact.
Require Talent Strategy That Spans the Enterprise
Belle’s journey to HR leadership took an unconventional path. Partnering across IT, finance, and operations before transitioning to HR gave her direct exposure to how boards and executive teams evaluate business performance. “When you’ve presented to boards on operational risk and technology investments, you understand that talent discussions need the same rigor and business focus,” she explains.
This cross-functional experience shapes her approach to talent strategy. Rather than viewing HR initiatives in isolation, Belle connects talent decisions directly to business outcomes. Her work has delivered measurable results, including partnerships with CFOs that reframed HR investments as growth enablers, leading to over $2M in cost avoidance. “The key is assessing your current talent capabilities against where the business needs to be,” Belle notes, “then systematically building or acquiring the skills and competencies to close those gaps.”
Challenge Traditional Succession Planning
A pivotal moment came through a conversation with a high-potential executive who’d been with the organization for years. They’d experienced succession planning from both sides— as a potential successor and as a hiring manager—and had grown jaded. ‘We create these elaborate succession plans,’ they told Belle, ‘but when senior roles open, we hire externally anyway.’ The pattern was clear: organizations were identifying successors but not actively closing readiness gaps. Belle transformed this broken promise into action. She required that critical role successor s in that organization had a detailed, personalized development plan addressing specific technical and leadership gaps. No more generic ‘high potential’ labels—each plan mapped precise capabilities needed for the target role.
‘Traditional succession planning creates lists. Real succession readiness creates leaders,’ Belle explains. When identifying development needs, she sponsored targeted interventions—from Harvard Business School programs for strategic thinking gaps to stretch assignments for operational experience. The result? When senior opportunities arose, internal candidates were genuinely ready to compete. This is what boards must demand: succession strategies that develop promotable talent, not just document it. Otherwise, succession planning becomes an expensive exercise in disappointing your best people.
Focus on Leadership Skills Over Technical Skills
When evaluating talent, Belle prioritizes capabilities that transcend specific roles. ‘Technical skills are the ticket to play. Adaptability, intellectual curiosity, risk intelligence, and the ability to navigate ambiguity—these are the differentiators,’ she notes. This focus on leadership capabilities over functional expertise represents a crucial shift. In rapidly changing business environments, the ability to learn and adapt matters more than what someone already knows.
The Board’s Imperative
In an era where human capital drives 90% of enterprise value, talent strategy demands the same rigor as financial strategy. Yet many boards still approach talent discussions as routine updates rather than strategic imperatives.
Belle’s guidance for boards is clear: ‘Move beyond succession charts to capability roadmaps. Shift from headcount reviews to transformation readiness assessments. Your CHRO should be presenting talent ROI with the same precision your CFO presents financial returns.’ The organizations that thrive don’t just have talent strategies—they have CHROs who think like investors, build like architects, and execute like operators. Waveney Belle represents this new breed of talent leader: cross-functional, data-driven, and relentlessly focused on enterprise value creation. The question for every board: Is your CHRO positioned as a true strategic partner? The answer will determine whether your organization leads the market or follows it.
Follow Waveney Belle on LinkedIn for insights on building future ready leadership pipelines.
