Engr'sLog#1.0 // No Rules Rules

How would you like to go against decision of your own boss which he or she sees feasible but your gut feeling says the opposite? What would be your reaction if your boss says you don't have to take approval for leaves or signing a million's worth business deal? Will you dare to go to your own HR and tell them that you got an interview call from competitor company with a higher offer?

This all seems a myth in the corporate world, governed by rules and processes but there is one organization that not only created a culture of innovation, creativity, freedom and responsibility by putting its trust in its own employees but also stands today as one of the leading and successful giants in entertainment industry.

Welcome to the most subscribed online streaming platform, Netflix.

In this book, Reed Hastings, CEO and Co-founder of Netflix alongwith Erin Meyers from INSEAD, presents insights into astonishing and ideal culture behind Netflix's success, which lead to more than 200 million subscribers in more than 130 countries, pushing back other giants like Amazon Prime, Disney+ and HBO Max.

Going through the book, reader finds that Netflix instead of deploying never ending policies and rules, created a culture of Freedom & Responsibility (F&R) based on mutual trust. According to author, if a company wants to innovate instead of reaching for minimum variance, high safety and zero change; it has to let go of rules that prevents its maneuverability in changing environment. 

Authors explain in this book the pathway to reach culture of F&R by

1) maximizing talent density (keeping outperformers only),

2) environment of feedback and candor (candid and timely feedback both top-down and bottom-up), 

3) minimizing controls (trusting employees) and 

4) paying employees above the market (as per survey 44% employees leave their jobs for more money) 

In this book, authors not only shared theoretical frameworks but also real life examples of how Netflix achieved F&R culture, not only in US but also in other countries with diverse behaviors and norms.

In conclusion, this book is a must read for all people managers to have a long-lasting and self-sustaining environment in their organizations.