The book No Rules Rules describes the elements that have made Netflix successful as a business, entertainer, and employer. Their “culture of freedom and responsibility” is based on three anchors: building up talent density (having only “stunning colleagues”), then increasing candor (saying what you think but with positive intent), and finally removing controls — in that order.
Their approach is radical and requires a system-wide buy-in to operationalize it, but their lessons about feedback can be helpful to everyone. Netflix has distilled its feedback guidelines into what they call “4A” with two “A’s” for giving feedback and two more behaviors when receiving it:
Giving Feedback
1. Aim to Assist: Effective feedback is given only with positive intent to help improve the behavior of the recipient or the performance of the company. Netflix is clear that feedback is not hurtful, whining or about you.
2. Actionable: The reason for giving feedback is to explain how a specific change will make things better. Your comment must include suggestions for improvement, rather than just pointing out a problem.
Receiving Feedback
3. Appreciate: To be effective, the recipient must appreciate that the feedback is being given with positive intent and truly listen to what is being said, rather than automatically dismissing it.
4. Accept or Discard: It is up to the recipient to evaluate the feedback and to decide whether or not to implement the suggestions. Appreciating the feedback is required. Acting on it is optional.
If you follow the Netflix approach when you’re engaged in the feedback process, you’re sure to earn an A for your communication effectiveness.
Source: No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer, 2020
