Culture cues:

I once spent an entire quarter writing about the 5 pillars of culture but as I thought about what I wanted to write about this quarter I kept coming back to culture. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about how we talked about culture when I first started working  VS how we talk about it now. 

Then, it was all about the vibes like what snacks the office got, how to set up an open floor plan, where to put the ping pong tables, and planning the next happy hour. What a time that was. 

Now, it’s more about AI policies, how layoffs are handled, psychological safety and inclusion. Sprinkle in a debate here and there about RTO. 

The truth is work is changing more rapidly than anyone ever anticipated. 

I swear future historians are going to look back on the decade from 2020 – 2030 and define work by the words: rapid change. That is, if we still have a planet by then… 

With things changing as much your culture is bound to be impacted! 

✨Consider this quarter your culture reality check ✨

This quarter I’m going to break down the things that are shaping your workforce right now to the things that can create culture cracks down the line. 

And since I love a scale, I’ve broken down the topics into 3 levels:

🚨Fix it yesterday

🔄Circle back zone 

📋Add it to the backlog 

These three levels can help you sort the noise from the signal so you can prioritize what matters now and plan for what could quietly unravel later.

Because HR teams that are excellent at prioritizing tend to get sh*t done. 

Don’t worry I’m going to tell you how to use the scale!! And guess what… you can easily use this scale for any issues or problems you encounter at work. Boom, instant value. 

Let’s look at the different levels, how to categorize issues and get a preview of what’s to come this quarter! 

Level 1: Fix it, yesterday

We’ve all encountered a problem at work and thought “damn, should’ve fixed that yesterday.” 

I know you’ve been there, don’t lie. Because same… 

Those problems are going to be the focus of Level 1. They are the things that are impossible to ignore and will have the greatest impact on your culture.

A problem falls into this category if its: 

• Actively causing harm (morale, trust, retention, productivity)
• A source of high confusion, fear, or reactivity
• Trending internally (you’re hearing a lot of chatter, complaints, or escalations)
• Requiring clear, immediate leadership action

Topics on the horizon this quarter that could be deemed level 1: 

• AI confusion and how to clear it up 
• RTO drama 
• Layoff confusion 

The bottom line: these problems can cause real emergencies and disruptions to work. 

Now, onto level 2. 

Level 2: Circle back zone

Real talk: Everything can’t be an emergency… 

I know you know that!!! 

But if you need me to mysteriously email your CEO and entire leadership team and remind them that, let me know. I’m available for hire. Just kidding… kinda. 

There are things that will fall clearly in the circle back zone. Like when the issue is: 

• Noticeable, but not urgent
• Creating misalignment, weird vibes, or frustration
• Affects people differently across teams (some fine, others spiraling)
• Something leaders vaguely know about but haven’t acted on

Topics on the horizon this quarter that could be deemed level 2:

• Manager Roulette (a new game!!)
• Decision making black holes (a new scientific discovery I’ve made) 
• Inconsistent leaders (getting my PhD in this) 

These are issues at work that cause frustration and if left could boil over into real culture killers. 

Now onto everyone’s favorite category, level 3! 

Level 3: Add it to the backlog

With level 3 issues, I find myself saying “That’s a problem for Future Hebba.” I’m really hell bent on ruining my future days…

Level 3 issues are quiet culture killers that sneak up over time. They don’t feel urgent (hence Future Hebba) until or unless they’ve compounded into things like trust gaps, turnover or stagnation. 

An issue will fall into this category when its: 

• Not urgent today but will compound over time
• Affects long-term health of your culture (engagement, belonging, innovation)
• Easy to deprioritize because it feels abstract or intangible
• Needs systemic design work, not a one-off fix

Topics on the horizon this quarter that could be deemed level 3:

• Career growth that’s all talk 
• The game of office politics 
• Complicated tech stacks that kill momentum
• Org rituals that don’t reflect reality 

These issues aren’t urgent but that doesn’t mean they don’t matter. We’re gonna zoom out from the urgency and look at the future for these topics. 

What’s next: 

Sooo, what do you think? Are you obsessed with the culture cues quarter?

If there are any topics to you that MUST be discussed, hit reply and let me know. 

I’m beyond pumped for this quarter! I started my career in project management and got REALLY INTENSE about prioritization and impact and I’m stoked to bring that energy to the newsletter over the next few weeks. 

I call it my secret power and now it can be yours… 

But first, what’s coming next week… is AI harming or helping your culture??