No Rules Rules

No Rules Rules • Reed Hastings & Erin Meyer

⭑ 7.4 Stars

There’s a succinct line towards the end of this book that I believe perfectly encapsulates the Netflix culture - it operates at the edge of chaos. I found this overview of the Netflix company culture to be wonderfully informative, and although I don’t agree with each principle addressed, the machine that Reed Hastings built to attract and retain talent is remarkable. Given that I’m currently operating within a startup and constantly hiring new people, there were several points as I absorbed this audiobook that I found myself racing to take note of a particular tactic or philosophy that could directly impact my own life immediately.

Despite the many biographies and strategy books I read, this desire to capture key anecdotes is a rare occurrence. That wasn’t the case with Hastings and Meyers joint effort, in fact, I recently secured a top candidate with competing offers as a direct result of my implementation of advice delivered in this book into our recruiting process.

In addition to the dozens of other notes I captured about team and family dynamics, trusting employees, and delivering effective feedback, the book closes with an analogy I won’t soon forget. Meyer eloquently paints the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris as the founding principle that guides the company - “… precedence is given to anyone attempting to enter the structure, but beyond that - know where you want to go, focus on your goal, and use your best judgement. If you do that, you’ll probably get there quickly, and unharmed.”