Evaluating an offer from Netflix. Can any current employees share how their managers support their teams personal growth into bigger roles given the culture of freedom and responsibility ?
You make it or you get out from what I heard
You are responsible for pushing yourself. As you explore your role and partnerships, you will come across many moments of “why would they do it that way” or “I bet they aren’t thinking of how X could impact Y”. Instead of doing nothing about it, you lean in. You talk to your manager about this area of opportunity. They give you their perspective. You modify your goals. You meet more people. Your initiative changes - it grows, it gets resolved, it’s determined that it’s not needed. Doesn’t matter, you are driving the initiative. You are the agent of change. Managers at Netflix are much more about helping you clear the clutter and helping you navigate. You are empowered to dig in and do what you believe needs to be done. From that, you will gain new experiences, skills and connections. God, I sound like I’m drinking koolaid but this is one part of the culture that I truly love. I have the freedom to pursue anything I want. I have the responsibility of making sure I am using my time smartly and partnering appropriately. And to be clear, sometimes it’s a dud. That’s ok too. Risk is a good thing. Just share what you’ve learned. That’s a skill too.
I'm gonna skip the plus one to be the devil's advocate. There's a definite adjustment needed to thrive at Netflix - I.e you don't have a career ladder measured in levels and that you just level up in the kinds of things you do and influence that you earn. This can feel jarring to someone ingrained in seeing a title or seniority level attached to their name with need that it inches up with time served and things accomplished. You'll get gobs more money as you become better and valuable to the company but no one else will know that publicly. The upside is not having to work the system and chase after cool things to demonstrate how awesome you are and you deserve the next promotion.
What kind of YoY growth can you expect if you are a top performer? How does this work? Does your manager just inform you at irregular intervals that you will be getting bigger paychecks from here out? Do you get a bump every review period based on your evaluation? Thanks!
Ask your tentative manager of a person who they've grown in their team and you'll know if they're worth following based on what they answer.
Great question even outside of netflix! Going to use this one.
Good question. Just assumed they hire the elite which do not need mentorship. But even Mike Tyson needed a good coach