This is the nub of F&R. If your people choose to abuse the freedom you give them, you need to fire them and fire them loudly, so others understand the ramifications. Without this, freedom doesnât work.
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People need freedom to act. Motivated, trained, and well-inculturated people donât need to be âcontrolled.â Adults donât need to be treated like children. People tend not to do their best work with someone looking over their shoulders.
Do people in your companyâall peopleâhave the authority (i.e., without approval from anyone) to make decisions that cost money? They ought to. Whoa! We bet that got your attention. Are we serious?
Yes. Weâre very serious. Of course, we donât mean that all people should have the authority to commit the company to million-dollar contracts, or that front-line clerks should be able to authorize the purchase of a new building. But people should have wide discretionary power to take responsibility to make sure something gets done fast, and done right.
If you build an organization made up of high performers, you can eliminate most controls. The denser the talent, the greater the freedom you can offer.
When you offer freedom, even if you set context and clarify the ramifications of abuse, a small percentage of people will cheat the system. When this happens, donât overreact and create more rules. Just deal with the individual situation and move forward.
...even if your employees spend a little more when you give them freedom, the cost is still less than having a workplace where they canât fly. If you limit their choices by making them check boxes and ask for permission, you wonât just frustrate your people, youâll lose out on the speed and flexibility that comes from a low-rule environment.
When you read about Freedom and Responsibility at Netflix, itâs easy to get lost in the lovely idea of Freedom without properly considering the accompanying weight of Responsibility. Being the informed captain and signing off on your own contracts is a case in point. Although Reed certainly doesnât intend to induce fear and trembling in his workforce, part of the reason that F&R works so well is because people do feel the burden of the responsibility that comes with the freedom and make extra efforts accordingly.