Feedback : How CEOs can tap into the Netflix's feedback model 

By Twin Philemon , Thursday ,22nd July 2021. 09:00 hrs E.A.T

Founded in 1997 as a DVD sales & rental company, Netflix has grown to be the largest entertainment/media company by market capitalization in 2021. Many industry analysts have attached this success story to the organizational and management principles within the company that have seen it survive and transition through the declining DVD period to an online streaming giant we know today.

In his book "No rules rules" co-authored with Erin Meyer, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings describes how his company possess a culture that allows it's employees freedom and responsibility and how he has gradually achieved it promoting talent density and a candid feedback policies. For the sake of this blog ,we majorly focus on how the culture of candid feedback can be tamed to form part of your company's or team's success.

Courtesy Photo by krakenimages 

Unlike the junior staff who would majorly play by the script and get their work done as a manager or boss, it becomes really difficult to effectively run the operations in absence of feedback from the staff on "ground". The manager has therefore got to put into an effective strategy to enable him receive valuable feedback from his staff. 

Getting the valuable feedback may not be as easy as it sounds as in the current work space majorly because employees are accustomed to traditional formats of receiving orders from the bosses and implementing them without questioning. Who even dares to ask the boss , Why?  However at Netflix ,employees are encouraged to say out their minds on how an idea can be better approached, perfected and even when they think the idea won't work.

Hastings in his book highlights the 4A Feedback guidelines that the company uses to better execute the above approach. He summarizes them under the two categories below.

1.Giving Feedback

  • Aim to Assist: Feedback must be given with positive intent. Giving feedback in order to get frustration off your chest, intentionally hurting the other person, or furthering your political agenda is not tolerated. Clearly explain how a specific behaviour change will help the individual or the company, not how it will help you. “The way you pick your teeth in meetings with external partners is irritating” is wrong feedback. Right feedback would be, “If you stop picking your teeth in external partner meetings, the partners are more likely to see you as professional, and we’re more likely to build a strong relationship.”
  • Actionable: Your feedback must focus on what the recipient can do differently. Wrong feedback to me in Cuba would have been to stop at the comment, “Your presentation is undermining its own messages.” Right feedback was, “The way you ask the audience for input is resulting in only Americans participating.” Even better would have been: “If you can find a way to solicit contributions from other nationalities in the room your presentation will be more powerful.”

2.Receiving Feedback

  • Appreciate: Natural human inclination is to provide a defense or excuse when receiving criticism; we all reflexively seek to protect our egos and reputation. When you receive feedback, you need to fight this natural reaction and instead ask yourself, “How can I show appreciation for this feedback by listening carefully, considering the message with an open mind, and becoming neither defensive nor angry?” 
  • Accept or Discard: You will receive lots of feedback from lots of people while at Netflix. You are required to listen and consider all feedback provided. You are not required to follow it. Say “thank you” with sincerity. But both you and the provider must understand that the decision to react to the feedback is entirely up to the recipient.                             

Following these guidelines may seem easy but will certainly require some serious time and practice for them to be adopted into your corporate organization culture. As a leader you expected to walk the talk and the employees are expected to provide feedback for them to remain relevant to the organization. Hasting further explores this concept in the next part of his book famously known as the Keeper test.

Culture Map by Erin Meyer and the No rule rules by Hastings are recommendable books for bosses, managers who are striving and looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their employees and also help their staff achieve their personal goals without them getting lost in the work place dynamics. 

                                                                                                                              THE END