Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

by Patty McCord

“Culture is the strategy of how you work. And if people believe it is a strategy and that it is important, they will help you think about it deeply and try things.”

“You can’t do it all at once; you have to pick where you want to start, prioritizing just as you do with the rest of the business.”

That takes me back to my point about approaching people management the way we approach product management. We took things a step at a time at Netflix. We tested. We made some mistakes. We rethought and tried again.

He said maybe some fear isn’t so bad. When you’re taking on a mountain the magnitude of Mt. Fuji or K2, you have to bring oxygen. It’s scary. But if you go up and a storm comes, you can go back to base camp, and nobody’s going to tell you that you’re a failure. I loved that because it expressed so well that not only were we engaged in a great challenge, which would involve setbacks, but we were also on a great adventure.

Keep reminding yourself that people have power. It’s not your job to give it to them. Appreciate their power, unleash it from hidebound policies, approvals, and procedures, and trust me, they will be powerful.