Feel the pressure.

You thought the project was a straight shot. It’s not. That’s good. And the hard part.

1. You’re mid-initiative. Data’s shifting, pressure’s up. The room feels off. What happens?

a. Someone names it fast, even without a fix.

b. Tension rises, but the group stays on-script.

c. One or two try a light pivot, keep the tempo up.

d. No one calls it. Everyone’s hoping someone else will.

2. The plan made sense at kickoff. Now the terrain’s changed. What’s the real move?

a. Pause and reinterrogate the premise.

b. Massage the story to fit what’s unfolding.

c. Push forward. The plan is already sold.

d. Quietly hope it auto-corrects downstream.

3. When decisions get heavier and direction starts to blur, what’s the team instinct?

a. Hit the brakes. Reopen the core questions.

b. Double down on rationale—tighten the narrative.

c. Defer. Someone more senior will make the call.

d. Stick to the roadmap. It’s too late to swerve.

4. When someone says, “Something’s not right,” the room’s response is:

a. Engaged. That’s what we need to hear.

b. Quiet. No one wants to derail momentum.

c. Defensive. The plan is already in motion.

d. Awkward. No one follows up. We move on.

5. Which risk feels bigger right now?

a. Staying loyal to a plan that’s already expired.

b. Admitting uncertainty after weeks of selling confidence.

c. Exposing cracks that could slow everything down.

d. Saying what you see—and being the only one.

Verdict?

Handling the turns. (mostly A’s)

Your team spots the shift early and adjusts without drama. Pressure sharpens focus. People speak up fast and stay clear on what matters even when the plan changes.

Wobbly but working. (mix of B’s and C’s)

You’re still moving, but people are overstating how clear things are. There’s pressure to act confident even when it’s not there. Things aren’t breaking, but they’re not grounded.

Dodging the real issues. (lots of C’s and D’s)

You’re pushing forward without solving what’s off. People sense the shift but won’t name it. Tension is avoided. Clarity is leaking.

In over your head. (heavy D’s)

The thread is gone. People are talking but not deciding. Leaders are quiet or scattered. You’re still moving, but no one’s sure where or why.

You can merge a co. and divide a culture. You can change an org. chart and change nothing.

1. Whose playbook are you using?

a. We’re blending both orgs intentionally.

b. We’re defaulting to the dominant side.

c. Depends on the room.

d. No one knows anymore.

2. When tension shows up in a meeting, what happens?

a. It sparks productive conversation.

b. It gets avoided and parked.

c. One voice usually wins.

d. Everyone pretends they’re aligned.

3. What do people say privately that they don’t say in the room?

a. Not much. We say the hard stuff out loud.

b. “This doesn’t feel like us anymore.”

c. “This is all just theater.”

d. “We’ll go along with it…for now.”

4. What’s your emotional power source right now?

a. Curiosity

b. Caution

c. Legacy pride.

d. Fear of being seen as resistant.

5. When someone challenges the direction, the vibe is:

a. Engaged

b. Defensive

c. Dismissive

d. Confused

6. If you asked your team who they’re becoming through this merger, would they say:

a. Something new.

b. A diluted version of the old.

c. I don’t know anymore.

d. I haven’t asked them

Verdict?

You’ve crossed the hard line. (Mostly A’s)

There’s trust, tension gets used, and people disagree without hedging. You’re not just integrating systems. You’re building something new, for real.

Walking on eggshells. (mix of B’s and C’s)

You’re being careful, not clear. Some hard truths stay backstage. People are cooperating, not syncing. Everyone’s avoiding a blow-up, but nothing bold is happening either.

Keeping up appearances. (lots of C’s and D’s)

Alignment looks good on paper but breaks in behavior. Decisions don’t stick. Teams nod in meetings, then rewrite things after. The merger isn’t failing, just fading.

Still two teams. (heavy D’s)

You’re not one company. You’re pretending to be. People pick sides. Power’s performative. No one’s saying what they mean—and no one’s fixing what that’s doing to the work.

You’re mid-sprint, mid-whatever. Everyone’s busy, the signal’s lost.

1. Your team is full-on sprint mode. What’s the signal?

a. Everyone can name the “one thing” we’re driving toward.

b. There’s general alignment, but the “why” keeps changing.

c. Depends who you ask.

d. No one’s stopped long enough to check.

2. The last few major decisions felt:

a. Focused and rooted in real insight.

b. Sharp in the moment but fuzzy in retrospect.

c. Fine, but mostly reactive.

d. Fast, noisy, and forgettable.

3. What gets the most airtime in meetings?

a. The core problem we’re trying to solve.

b. The roadmap and status updates.

c. Smart ideas with no place to land.

d. Stuff that makes us look productive.

4. What happens when someone says, “This isn’t it yet”?

a. The room leans in. We work it.

b. There’s a pause, but we mostly move on.

c. That person gets labeled difficult.

d. No one says that here.

5. The work is technically right. But it’s not landing. What’s the next move?

a. Stop. Get clear. Ask the harder question.

b. Polish it until it feels better.

c. Push it out anyway. The deadline’s real.

d. Cross fingers and say it’s “MVP.”

Verdict?

Clear and focused. (mostly A’s)

People know what matters. There’s plenty happening, but priorities are sharp. Teams make decisions that stick. The pace is fast, but not frantic.

Lots of movement, little direction. (mix of B’s and C’s)

You’re busy, not clear. Teams are doing good work, but nobody can say what it’s for. Decisions change week to week. You’re productive, but not purposeful.

All volume, no voice. (lots of C’s and D’s)

Everyone’s building, but nothing’s landing. Projects are moving, but disconnected. People nod in meetings, then do something else. The loudest ideas win—until the next one comes.

Can’t hear what matters. (heavy D’s)

It’s chaos in disguise. Everyone’s overwhelmed. No one feels safe saying, “This isn’t it.” The speed is masking a lack of direction. Teams are burning out without breaking through. 

Your brand or culture is losing relevance. Not vanished, just fading.

1. The brand is evolving. What’s actually changing?

a. The story, the tone, and the truth behind it.

b. The visuals and language—we’re tightening it up.

c. Mostly the look, but we’ll get to the deeper stuff.

d. The fonts are newer.

2. When someone says, “This doesn’t feel like us,” the response is:

a. We pause, unpack it, and look at what we’ve lost.

b. “It’s where we’re going” but the tension lingers.

c. “Let’s not get stuck on language.”

d. That person stops getting invited to meetings.

3. Your last few campaigns were:

a. Electric, true, sharper than before.

b. Polished, smart, but maybe a little late.

c. Safe, pretty, forgettable.

d. Fine. We’re already onto the next one.

4. What do old hires miss and new ones not see?

a. They’re aligned. It’s evolving, not eroding.

b. Hard to name, but yeah, something’s different.

c. The spark, the edge, the soul.

d. That’s just nostalgia. We’ve moved on.

5. When you talk about the brand internally:

a. It feels alive. People lean in.

b. It’s consistent. Everyone has the slide.

c. We “say the right things,” but no one lights up.

d. It’s mostly HR’s thing now.

Verdict.

Still real. (mostly A’s)

The brand sounds like the team. Culture isn’t forced. it’s alive. People know what the company stands for, and can tell when something’s off. The signal’s clear and present.

Starting to slip. (mix of B’s and C’s)

The words are right, but the feeling’s fading. People are repeating talking points they don’t believe. New hires don’t quite sound like the old ones. You haven’t lost it yet—but you’re not far.

Too much gloss, not enough guts. (lots of C’s and D’s)

Internally, the story doesn’t feel true. The values are still printed, but not practiced. People talk like they’re promoting the company, not part of it. The brand's a performance. The culture’s quiet.

No signal. (heavy D’s)

You’ve lost the thread. Nobody knows what this company stands for anymore. Culture rituals are on autopilot. The brand doesn’t match how people talk. The inside and outside are two different worlds.

The system’s running, lean and on time. No one really cares what it’s making.

1. Your innovation process is:

a. Grounded in principles and built to adapt.

b. Well-defined. We know the steps and stick to them.

c. Smooth but starting to feel rigid.

d. Locked in. We don’t mess with it.

2. How often do people ask, “Does this even matter?”

a. Weekly. And we take it seriously.

b. Occasionally, but we move on fast.

c. Only when something breaks.

d. Not really. It’s not part of the culture.

3. What’s your ratio of process to pause?

a. Balanced: we know when to step back.

b. Heavy on process, but we try to make space.

c. We’re always moving. Pause feels like slacking.

d. We paused once. In 2019.

4. The last big idea your team shipped was:

a. Relevant, brave, built to last.

b. Solid, but maybe a little safe.

c. Polished, but no one talks about it.

d. On time. And that’s about all.

5. What’s happening between the boxes on the org chart?

a. Connection, insight, accountability.

b. Some connection, but it’s work.

c. Communication feels…choreographed.

d. We stick to our swim lanes. It’s cleaner that way.

Verdict?

In the work. (mostly A’s)

You’re connected. The team still knows what matters and can tell when the work is off. People speak up when things drift. You're using the system—not getting used by it.

Going through the motions. (mix of B’s and C’s)

People are checking boxes, but no one’s sure why anymore. Retros run, reviews happen, but the work feels thin. You’re doing the steps, but not the thinking.

Stuck in the system. (lots of C’s and D’s)

There’s no pulse behind the work. Meetings feel obligatory. Nobody’s challenging anything. Feedback sounds like “looks good” but doesn’t mean anything.

Running on empty. (heavy D’s)

The team is checked out. People are shipping work they don’t believe in. No one’s asking if what you're building matters—just when it’s due. The system’s still running. The team isn’t.