Episode 100: Reed Hastings

5 Questions With Dan Schawbel

My guest today is the Co-Founder, Co-CEO, and Chairman of Netflix, Reed Hastings. After speaking to the other Netflix Co-Founder, Marc Randolph, for episode 53, I was delighted at the opportunity to speak with Reed to get the other side of the Netflix story, as well as learn from his experiences building the company and their workplace culture. Since Co-Founding Netflix back in 1997, Reed has revolutionized the entertainment industry, growing the company to over 183 million subscribers in 190 countries. He captures his journey, and lessons learned in his new book “No Rules Rules”, which we discuss in this episode.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

1. When you were the CEO of Pure Software you learned that tightly controlled management policies stifle creativity, which is why at Netflix you created a flexible work culture. Today’s professionals desire flexibility and that’s been made even more clear during this pandemic, where remote work has been normalized. How does a flexible work culture enable companies to adapt to changes and innovate faster?
2. By promoting employee freedom, and eliminating rigid policies, you built organizational trust. How does giving employees the freedom to build the trust that leads to a healthier and more productive workforce?
3. In the book, you said that hiring talented, creative, and diverse people was the “most critical dot for the foundation of the whole Netflix story”. What’s your approach to competing for and retaining the best talent, while promoting diversity and inclusion?
4. In your childhood, you concealed your emotions from your family, which eventually became an issue for you as a leader and husband. What did your marriage counselor teach you about sharing your feelings, being honest, and giving transparent feedback and how did you apply that advice to your work relationships?
5. What is your best piece of career advice?

Follow Reed’s journey:

• Book
• Twitter
• LinkedIn