Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

by Patty McCord

Overview

Named by The Washington Post as one of the 11 Leadership Books to Read in 2018

When it comes to recruiting, motivating, and creating great teams, Patty McCord says most companies have it all wrong. McCord helped create the unique and high-performing culture at Netflix, where she was chief talent officer. In her new book, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, she shares what she learned there and elsewhere in Silicon Valley.

McCord advocates practicing radical honesty in the workplace, saying good-bye to employees who don’t fit the company’s emerging needs, and motivating with challenging work, not promises, perks, and bonus plans. McCord argues that the old standbys of corporate HR—annual performance reviews, retention plans, employee empowerment and engagement programs—often end up being a colossal waste of time and resources. Her road-tested advice, offered with humor and irreverence, provides readers a different path for creating a culture of high performance and profitability.

Powerful will change how you think about work and the way a business should be run.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781939714091
Publisher:	Missionday, LLC
Publication date:	01/09/2018
Pages:	228
Sales rank:	345,912
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Patty McCord served as chief talent officer of Netflix for fourteen years and helped create the Netflix Culture Deck. Since it was first posted on the web, the Culture Deck has been viewed more than 15 million times, and Sheryl Sandberg has said that it "may be the most important document ever to come out of Silicon Valley."

Patty participated in IPOs at Netflix and, before that, Pure Atria Software. A veteran of Sun Microsystems, Borland, and Seagate Technologies, she has also worked with small start-ups. Her background includes staffing, diversity, communications, and international human resources positions.

Currently, Patty coaches and advises a small group of companies and entrepreneurs on culture and leadership. She also speaks to groups and teams around the world.

Patty's book Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility will be published in January of 2018.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A New Way of Working: Foster Freedom and Responsibility xi

Chapter 1 The Greatest Motivation Is Contributing to Success: Treat People Like Adults 1

In Brief 13

Questions to Consider 14

Chapter 2 Every Single Employee Should Understand the Business: Communicate Constantly About the Challenge 15

In Brief 28

Questions to Consider 30

Chapter 3 Humans Hate Being Lied To and Being Spun: Practice Radical Honesty 32

In Brief 48

Questions to Consider 50

Chapter 4 Debate Vigorously: Cultivate Strong Opinions and Argue About Them Only on the Facts 52

In Brief 68

Questions to Consider 70

Chapter 5 Build the Company Now That You Want to Be Then: Relentlessly Focus on the Future 72

In Brief 86

Questions to Consider 88

Chapter 6 Someone Really Smart in Every Job: Have the Right Person in Every Single Position 90

In Brief 108

Questions to Consider 110

Chapter 7 Pay People What They're Worth to You: Compensation Is a Judgment Call 111

In Brief 122

Questions to Consider 123

Chapter 8 The Make Needed Changes Fast, and Be a Great Place to Be From 124

In Brief 142

Questions to Consider 144

Conclusion 145

Notes 149

In Gratitude 151

Editorial Reviews

Patty McCord’s compelling account of the culture that made Netflix succeed should be required reading for everyone who wants their business to thrive in the 21st century. A natural-born storyteller, McCord shows us how the Netflix ‘methodology’ of radical honesty, debating everything and relentlessly focusing on the future can set us up to win in the 21st century. With Powerful, McCord challenges, entertains, and inspires as she sets out how we can bring out the best in ourselves and others.” — Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global

“Magical! An enlightening ride through young companies bucking orthodoxy.” — Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix

“Drawing on her decades of experience building high-performance professional environments, Patty McCord has given us a valuable playbook for designing workplaces where colleagues thrive. Anyone interested in building and strengthening talent will find Powerful a useful resource to create professional cultures anchored in mutual respect, empathy, and creativity.” — Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of Emerson Collective

“If your company is pursuing greatness and comfortable with the idea of embracing change, this book is a must-read. It’s as simple as that. Patty McCord articulates what many leaders need to hear, then teaches you how to implement it.” — Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, co-founders and co-CEOs of Warby Parker

From the Publisher