LESSONS ON CULTURE FROM THE SILICON VALLEY with Patty McCord

Audio production by James Ede, Be Heard

We live in the era of exponential change. Business as usual is dead and we need to redefine, reimagine and rethink work.

Our culture and our HR systems need a long overdue update.

Some companies are more successful at carrying out these updates than some others.

Netflix, a technology juggernaut whose analytics, algorithms, and digital-streaming innovations have changed how we watch movies and TV shows, seems to be at the forefront of this wave of change.

To a great extent, this uncanny ability to transform, rethink and reimagine everything comes from the philosophy of Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings:

If you want to disrupt an industry, you need to start by disrupting yourself.

But what Netflix has achieved wouldn’t have been possible without our guest, Patty McCord.

Patty is one of the biggest disruptors of the old way of “doing HR”.

She 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:

Netflix Culture Deck may be the most important document ever to come out of Silicon Valley.

Episode Highlights

• How Reed Hastings and Patty McCord decided to work together on yet another project and what their aspirations for Netflix were at the very beginning
• How Patty’s intention to create “a great company to be from” changed the way she approached managing the talent side of the business
• What makes Netflix culture so unique
• Patty’s take on how we need to change the way we think about and “do” HR
• Three things companies still do today that Patty sees as completely outdated and unnecessary
• What would an HR department look like if Patty were to build it today, from scratch
• Patty’s advice to HR leaders who want to make a difference in their companies
• Why referring to your company is “a family” might not be such a good idea after all

Listen to the interview in the player below, or on iTunes. If you like what you hear, please leave a review and it may be featured on a future episode.

Audio production by James Ede, Be Heard

More about Patty McCord

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” was published in January of 2018.

Books and resources mentioned on the podcast

Patrick Lencioni, “The Advantage”
Reid Hoffman, “Think Wrong”
Susan Cain, “Quiet”