HBF’s General Manager, People Strategy and Culture outlines how her team is embedding, encouraging and measuring boldness in their organisation to help the business meet its desired future state.

When we began re-imagining culture at HBF, it wasn’t because something was broken. It’s because we wanted to continue moving the organisation forward.

Our people already lived our purpose every day, but as we prepared to launch HBF30 – a bold new five-year strategy – it was clear that the culture that had served us well in the past needed to evolve to support where we were heading.

As a company, our aim is to shift from being seen as a health insurer and payer to becoming a true partner in our members’ and communities’ health. To deliver on that, we needed to empower our own people to be innovative, take educated risks and bring their best selves to work. 

That’s where our cultural reboot – and our ‘Be You, Be Bold, Be HBF’ movement – began. This is an initiative that we’re proud to have been nominated as a finalist for Best Organisational Change award for the 2025 AHRI Awards and Scholarships event.

Our cultural shift was deliberately tied to business outcomes. One of the three pillars of HBF30 is “empowered people, bold culture.” That positioning signalled something important to our workforce – that people weren’t a side stream to the strategy but a central enabler of it.

At the same time, candid employee feedback from focus groups and engagement surveys gave us a reality check. Our people valued connection and purpose, but they wanted greater empowerment to make decisions and try new approaches. That combination of strategic need and employee voice created the momentum we required.

For me, this was never about a “culture project” living inside HR. It was about creating the conditions for performance – a culture that enables business transformation rather than simply reacting to it.

Listening first, then co-creating the aspiration

We started by asking employees what kind of culture they wanted to be part of. Through an open expression-of-interest process, anyone could volunteer to join workshops to help define our first culture aspiration statement.

Those sessions were some of the most energising I’ve ever been part of. People spoke openly about wanting to feel comfortable to be themselves, to contribute ideas and to take calculated risks in their work. 

This latter point, in my opinion, is a key aspect of thriving as a business in today’s world of work. In order to innovate, people need to feel safe to get things wrong, to move in different directions and to take a misstep every now and then. Mistakes are what bring us closer to our goals.

After many drafts, we landed on the final version – a north-star statement that now appears on every employee’s computer lock screen:

“At HBF, we deliver in the moments that matter, for our members and for a healthier tomorrow. We do it by showing up as our whole selves, supporting each other and being bold. We go one better, to create lasting impact – together.”

It acknowledges our purpose (“to deliver for our members in the moments that matter”) and connects it to our vision of creating “a healthier tomorrow”. It balances authenticity and inclusion with commercial reality. If we want to deliver exceptional value to members, we also need to perform exceptionally as a business.

While this isn’t something we expect people to memorise or recite, it’s a living reference point and reminder of what great feels like when we get it right together.

Leadership is everyone’s business

In parallel with our cultural transformation, we were also defining new leadership behaviours, which we see as an important foundation for delivering on our renewed cultural ambitions.

Initially they were designed for our leadership group, developed through a working group of leaders from across the business. But it quickly became clear that these behaviours had power beyond formal hierarchy.

We made a deliberate decision to roll them out organisation-wide, recognising that leadership isn’t about job title – it’s about how you show up. Whether you’re engaging with members in the contact centre or shaping policy on the executive team, every moment is an opportunity to lead.

We launched the leadership behaviours at our inaugural Leadership Conference, where Dr Kirstin Ferguson joined us to explore modern leadership.

Her insights helped us frame the behaviours as values in action, which are the visible ways we live our purpose. We landed on the following five behaviours: Impactful, Authentic, Accountable, Self-Aware and Inclusive.

1. Impactful: Being diligent, effective and purposeful, and delivering high-quality, valued outcomes and continuously seeking new and innovative ideas. 

Example: A contact centre team member proactively identifies a recurring member issue and suggests a process improvement that reduces call volume.

2. Authentic: Serving with genuine empathy and integrity; building meaningful and trusted relationships, and considering what’s best for our members. 

Example: A manager openly shares their own learning journey to foster psychological safety in team retrospectives.

3. Accountable: Owning actions and decisions, and being guided by shared purpose and vision to achieve collective goals and foster a culture of trust.

Example: A senior leader holds themselves and peers to account for delivering on transformation goals.

4. Self-Aware: Valuing progress and growth over perfection; being open to feedback; listening; and continuously seeking new ways to learn and grow. 

Example: A leader invites 360° feedback and adjusts their leadership style to better support their team.

5. Inclusive: Being approachable and open to diverse perspectives; championing innovation, empowering others; and fostering a better culture for all.

Example: A contact centre team leader ensures quieter voices are heard in team huddles.

Embedding the change – not just announcing it

Many culture programs lose steam after the launch phase. We were determined that ours wouldn’t become just fancy murals and banners that were put up around our buildings.

From day one, we focused on embedding the leadership behaviours into the full employee experience. They’re now woven through our recognition platform, performance review cycle and development conversations, so they’re reinforced in daily practice rather than isolated events.

We also introduced visible, playful reminders. In every bathroom, mirror decals prompt self-reflection, which is linked to our leadership behaviour of self-awareness. They say things like: “Am I helping people feel safe to be themselves?” and “What’s one thing I can do today to make a difference?” It’s a simple nudge that turns an everyday routine into a leadership moment.

We created tangible tools for leaders as well, such as bite-sized aids they can use immediately without adding to workload. Middle managers, in particular, juggle competing priorities, so practicality was essential.

“In order to innovate, people need to feel safe to get things wrong, to move in different directions and to take a misstep every now and then. Mistakes are what bring us closer to our goals.”

Our leadership method cards have been a standout success. Designed like a deck of playing cards, each suit represents one leadership behaviour and contains prompts to guide conversations in the following settings: when leading people, in a meeting, on a project, having a difficult conversation or working in a team.

Before a performance check-in or team meeting, leaders can flip through the cards to find a relevant prompt for reflection or action – for instance, one about ensuring every voice is heard, or preparing for a difficult conversation with authenticity. The tactile format makes it approachable and memorable.

We also issued pocket guides summarising the leadership behaviours and discussion questions leaders could use with teams. These resources encourage teams to describe, in their own words, what the leadership behaviours look like in their context, reinforcing shared language and accountability.

Our ‘Be You, Be Bold, Be HBF’ campaign provided the spark, but the real work was always about embedding new mindsets and behaviours – and that kind of work can take months or even years.

We view this as a long-term behaviour-change program, not a short-term initiative. To ensure we positioned it correctly, we engaged a behavioural change communication specialist who helped us frame the deliverables, tailor messaging to different audiences and ensure every element – from design to tone – would drive real change rather than simply look good. 

That partnership helped us approach the work through a scientific lens of habit formation and reinforcement.

Celebrate the HR community and their work at the 2025 AHRI Awards and Scholarship program on 5 December in Melbourne. Save your seat.

Making boldness measurable

To sustain momentum, we needed mechanisms that formalised our intent.

In FY26, we introduced bold goals into performance reviews. Every employee now sets one bold goal – a stretch objective that encourages experimentation without fear of failure.

For example, an employee’s bold goal might be something like, design and pilot an AI-powered onboarding experience for new employees that reduces manual processing time by 50 per cent. 

These goals are not rated; they exist purely to create psychological safety around trying something new. By documenting them, we’re signalling that intelligent risk-taking is valued.

We also added a Bold Moves category to our recognition platform, where peers and leaders can acknowledge courageous thinking or innovative problem-solving. 

Likewise, a Risk Champion category celebrates those who apply sound risk judgment – whether their idea succeeds or not.

This subtle reframing of risk has been powerful. Historically, risk management could feel like a compliance gate. Now we’re viewing it as an enabler of innovation. Our people are learning that taking an educated risk is not just acceptable – it’s expected if we want to stay competitive.

Although we only launched in May, we’re already seeing promising signs. Nominations for Bold Moves recognition are climbing, and the language of empowerment is increasingly part of everyday conversation. Employees reference the leadership behaviours when discussing performance or feedback.

Importantly, the initiative has created a sense of shared ownership. The lock-screen statements, mirror decals and wall quotes from employee workshops all reinforce that this culture belongs to everyone. That visibility matters. Culture can’t be something HR owns; it has to be co-owned across the business.

Lessons from the journey

Pressing “reset” on an organisation’s culture can feel daunting. For leaders embarking on similar work, a few lessons stand out for me:

1. Start with deep understanding.

Don’t assume you already know the culture story. Go beyond engagement scores to uncover what’s really playing out. Listen to your people before deciding what needs to change.

2. Co-creation builds commitment

When people help shape the aspiration, they’re far more likely to live it. Co-creation also builds trust – it signals that leadership doesn’t have all the answers and genuinely values employee voice.

3. Secure visible executive sponsorship

At HBF, our board and executive committee have been vocal champions of this work, reinforcing that it’s business-critical, not an HR experiment.

4. Think long-term and keep storytelling

Culture change doesn’t happen overnight. Launching the initiative is the easy part; embedding is where the effort lies. Keep connecting the dots between actions and outcomes – “You told us this, and here’s what we’ve done.” That ongoing narrative sustains belief and momentum.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we know cultural transformation takes time. The “hearts and minds” phase never really ends – it becomes part of how we lead.

Step by step, we’re building a culture that’s confident, connected and ready for the future – one bold move at a time.

Elizabeth Levis is the General Manager, People Strategy and Culture at HBF.