How to Build a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
This post is based on my conversation with Patty McCord, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix and author of Powerful.
“People have power; don’t take it away.” Patty McCord
Eliminate energy sucking policies and procedures.
Set people free responsibly.
Patty writes, “The Netflix culture wasn’t built by developing an elaborate new system for managing people; we did the opposite. We kept stripping away policies and procedures.”
Declare purpose before taking action.
I’ve worked where bureaucracy made work slow and tedious. I’ve also seen people flounder because they don’t know how to handle freedom.
Let everyone know that you’re learning how to build an organization that energizes people. One strategy is to eliminate unnecessary policies and procedures.
Avoid the all or nothing approach when it comes to simplifying organizational life.
Patty suggests the “stripping away process” be done gradually. Eliminate a policy and evaluate the effect. If things get worse, reinstate it. Otherwise, eliminate another policy or procedure.
This approach reflects something Denny Strigl did when he became the CEO of Verizon Wireless. An entire team was creating monthly reports that were sent upstairs.
When Denny asked who reads these reports and how they were used, no one knew. One month he didn’t send one of the reports.
Did someone upstairs complain? No.
Eventually he freed an entire team for more productive work by eliminating unnecessary reports.
The heart of culture building:
Patty explains that the heart of culture building goes beyond eliminating energy sucking practices. It includes the rigorous practice of values based behaviors.
- Practice radical honesty. Have you said this to their face?
- Relentlessly focus on the future. Nostalgia is an early warning sign.
- Make needed changes fast, and be a great place to be from.
(“Power,” explains 8 culture building principles.)
Patty dedicated her book to her dad. I asked her that. That conversation turned into a conversation about radical honesty.
How do organizations/leaders drain power from people?
How might leaders build cultures of freedom and responsibility?
Follow patty on twitter: @pattymccord1
Just downloaded Powerful to my Audible. Thanks, this sounds great.
Enjoy!!
“Practice radical honesty. Have you said this to their face?”
Love that comment and question.
I like a combo of “stripping away processes gradually” but also think the Jack Welch “workout approach” —making fast dramatic eliminations has a time and place.
Building a strong culture requires clear answers to the following questions:
1. What are our 3-to-5 core values?.
2. What do we do that supports our values and what do we do that goes against our core values?
3. What needs to be stopped, changed, or added to have alignment with support our values?
When policies, rules, and behaviors perfectly align with the values –you have a strong culture.
To keep a culture strong, you need to monitor new policies and practices to catch those that don’t align with the core values. Misaligned practices and sloppy execution will begin to weaken the culture.
Thanks Paul. Your focus on values is essential. Values don’t mean anything until they’re expressed in behaviors. What behaviors do we expect? What behaviors are not tolerated?
Dan,
BINGO!
You said it more clearly and succinctly than I did.
Well done.
Exactly Dan.
Great points Paul.
Radical honesty is said to create happiness via an intimacy driven by truth.
My experience is that radical honesty creates animosity because most people don’t what the truth, they want “the right answer”.
Great article, Dan! The Netflix culture provided inspiring principles and guidance to the board of the non-profit GivingBackLife, Inc. in developing its policies and processes. A focus on freedom and responsibility helped to generate empowering rather than suffocating guidelines.
I’d love to hear from you and your followers about telling truth to power when your boss doesn’t want to hear it.