Its fascinating reading about startups, their struggles, principles that guided them through difficult times and different personalities who think differently from the status quo and how that thinking, defines the trajectory of the company.
No Rules Rules by Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings and Powerful by Patty McCord cover interesting aspects of Netflix's growth as a company. Both are very good reads and cover variety of interesting principles and the famous Netflix culture deck and the tenets thats influenced it.
The one specific principle which spoke to me the most is leading your team like a sports team rather than a family.The concept at the first glance might sound controversial and counter intuitive to many management philosophies, but a logical review can help us to appreciate this better.
Families are compassionate and empathetic to each other, care deeply about feelings and fairness, and are protective of members at all costs. However, families are not particularly well known for their ability to adapt rapidly, focus on execution, and shed under-performers.
Unlike a family, sports teams are constructed around a singular purpose. Everyone knows what the goal is before the very first practice, and any activity that doesn’t advance the team toward that goal is a distraction.This doesn't have to come at the cost of relationships, great sport team players share immense amount of respect and warmth. Sports teams also have more horizontal relationships than family, where relationships could be vertical.
Transitioning from a family to a sports team model is understandably difficult but many teams relish the growth that comes from a diverse group of dynamic, challenging colleagues working towards a common goal. Radical transparency to the team on your goals and rational is key toward the success of driving this culture.
