1. Belonging is your engagement unlock — and it’s not just a ‘nice to have’

Helen shared that HubSpot’s recent engagement survey showed belonging is the strongest driver of engagement, retention, and eNPS. When belonging scores go up, so does discretionary effort.

“Where belonging was seen as this softer measure that made people feel like you were giving them a warm hug — it’s a strategic imperative. It’s the thing that makes people take risks, push the envelope, and do their best work.”

If your people don’t feel like they belong, everything else — clarity, growth, recognition — loses impact fast.

2. Culture needs a refresh for the AI era

When Helen joined HubSpot a year ago, the company revisited its beloved culture code. The goal: keep what made HubSpot special but dial up urgency and adaptability for this new moment.

The result? They added two new commitments: Be Bold, Learn Fast and Align, Adapt & Go.

“When you have a company that’s so beloved, it’s easy to lament the past. We said: honor the past, but run towards the future — faster.”

Culture isn’t a slide — it’s how you hire, onboard, and check in. If you want speed, build it into your everyday rituals.

3. Don’t fear AI — make it feel safe to play

A big takeaway: if HR leaders treat AI as a threat, employees will too. Helen’s approach? Make it feel safe, fun, and practical.

Her team runs a Monday Minute — a 1-minute Loom where anyone can demo a new AI use case. The goal is micro-learning, not perfection.

“It was like the first domino. People started competing to show the coolest use case. The snowball effect was incredible.”

They also hosted Grow Day (spelled Grow D-A-I) — a global half-day for employees to experiment, break things, and get inspired.

4. HR should own the human side — but push tech harder

Helen’s framing for the HR team of the future: deeply human — but relentlessly focused on the highest-value work. Let the bots handle the hygiene.

She’s testing tools like BrightHire for faster feedback, Tenor for AI-powered roleplays, and Qualtrics’ new AI to instantly surface engagement themes and actions.

“It’s a kid in a sweet shop moment. But we’ll converge, pick what works, and run.”

5. Be the translator — not the bottleneck

One subtle but critical insight: HR doesn’t have to own every AI decision — but it does have to shape how the company navigates the people side of it.

Helen made it clear: HR can’t get stuck in fear or wait for someone else to lead. This is the time to learn, experiment, and guide your org — even if you’re just a couple of weeks ahead.

“This is our moment to lead by the nose — even when the company isn’t ready to make the move.”

She drew a parallel to marketing: years ago, marketing leaders who didn’t lean into data fell behind. The same thing will happen to HR teams that ignore AI.

The biggest risk? Staying silent and letting someone else rewrite the people playbook for you.

See you next week!

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