- A resource for human resources. At the end of August, Fortune convened a group from our Most Powerful Women community for the inaugural event in our new Professional Councils series. These gatherings pull together women who work in similar roles across companies and industries, and we hope they'll be a space for peers to talk candidly about the hurdles and opportunities they encounter every day.

Our kickoff event focused on CHROs and other human resources leaders, and—given the twin crises of the pandemic and the reckoning over racial injustice—it's tough to think of a group facing a more complicated and urgent set of challenges.

But despite all that, the mood on the call—which included HR leaders from HP, Accenture, Levi's, Electronic Arts, and Chobani, among many others—was surprisingly hopeful. Two big reasons for the positivity: 1. HR execs are working together and sharing information in an unprecedented manner. As HP CHRO Tracy Keogh put it, "that’s been a real bright spot for me.” And 2. Change, much of it long overdue is finally happening. "We have this opportunity to redefine how things will be done,” said Chobani chief people officer Grace Zuncic.

The execs spent much of the conversation sharing best practices—five of which Fortune's Michal Lev-Ram breaks down in this recap of the conversation. I won't walk you through all of them here, but I will leave you with the one that really jumped out to me. Here's Kim Seymour, chief people officer, WW International, on moving your company's push for racial equality from hashtag to action:

“First, you have to look at what you believe as a person, then you decide who you are as a company. And look at it as the business problem that it is. Use your metrics to show you where you are and set goals for where you want to go. The gap is where you set strategy. That’s how companies address business problems every day."