No Rules Rules: Complete Summary of the Netflix Culture of Freedom and Responsibility for High-Growth Innovation

In a world where most companies collapse when their industry shifts, Netflix has successfully pivoted from DVD-by-mail to streaming, and from licensing content to becoming a global studio. This remarkable adaptability is not a result of superior technology alone, but of a unique corporate culture that prioritizes talent density, radical candor, and the removal of traditional controls. While most organizations build thick rulebooks to prevent errors, Netflix operates on the principle that “No Rules Rules,” allowing for unprecedented speed and innovation.

The core philosophy of the book rests on the belief that most companies “dummy-proof” their work environment with policies designed to manage mediocre employees. This approach inadvertently stifles high performers and kills the creativity necessary for long-term survival. Instead, Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer outline a three-stage cycle to build a culture of Freedom and Responsibility. By first hiring only top-tier talent and then fostering an environment of total honesty, a company can eventually eliminate vacation policies, travel approvals, and decision-making hierarchies.

This summary provides a comprehensive guide for leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers who want to move away from “command and control” management toward a more flexible, high-performance jazz band model. You will learn how to implement the “Keeper Test,” why you should pay at the top of the personal market, and how leading with context rather than control creates a faster, more resilient organization. Whether you are leading a small startup or a global corporation, these insights offer a blueprint for building a workforce that behaves like owners rather than employees.

Chapter 1: First Build Up Talent Density – A Great Workplace Is Stunning Colleagues

A high-performance culture begins with the realization that a team’s effectiveness is dictated by its average talent level. In 2001, when Netflix was forced to lay off one-third of its staff, the leaders discovered that the remaining employees became significantly more productive and energized. This happened because the talent density increased, meaning every person in the office was a “stunning colleague.” When every team member is exceptional, people learn more from each other, motivation spirals upward, and the need for management oversight diminishes.

The Impact of “Bad Apples” on Team Performance

Research into group dynamics shows that one underperformer can decrease the effectiveness of an entire team by 30% to 40%. Whether the person is a “slacker,” a “jerk,” or a “pessimist,” their negative behavior is contagious. Other team members begin to take on these characteristics or spend valuable energy working around the poor performer. Eliminate adequate performers to ensure that your top talent remains engaged and isn’t drained by the need to support or compensate for others.

Defining the Stunning Colleague

A stunning colleague is an employee who accomplishes a significant amount of important work while being exceptionally creative and collaborative. These individuals don’t just follow instructions; they push the company forward with new ideas and high-level judgment. Surround your best people with other high performers to create a virtuous cycle of excellence. Top talent thrives in environments where they are challenged by peers who are just as capable and driven as they are.

Performance Is Contagious

Behavior in a workspace is infectious, and this applies to both high and low performance. In a high-talent-density environment, employees push each other to achieve more, and the “speed of the pack” increases naturally. Foster a work environment consisting exclusively of top performers to ensure that the baseline for behavior is excellence. When mediocrity is tolerated, it sends a signal to the entire organization that “okay” is acceptable, which eventually drives away your most ambitious and talented staff.

The Relationship Between Talent and Freedom

The more talent density you have, the more freedom you can offer your employees. Most corporate rules exist to manage the bottom 5% of the workforce who might behave irresponsibly. If you remove the bottom performers, you can remove the rules. High performers don’t need a rulebook to tell them how to behave; they need the space to use their judgment. Building talent density is the first and most critical step because it provides the foundation for removing the controls that slow down innovation.

Chapter 2: Then Increase Candor – Say What You Really Think (With Positive Intent)

High-performing employees have much to learn from one another, but traditional polite protocols often prevent the feedback necessary for growth. To combat this, leaders must foster a culture of radical candor where people feel it is their duty to speak up when they disagree or have helpful feedback. When feedback becomes a normal part of the workday, it reduces office politics, eliminates backstabbing, and allows the entire team to improve at an exponential rate.

Implementing the 4A Feedback Guidelines

To ensure feedback is constructive rather than hurtful, follow the 4A Feedback Model for every interaction. These guidelines provide a structured way to give and receive criticism that maintains psychological safety while pushing for excellence.

Giving Feedback:

• Aim to Assist: Feedback must be given with positive intent to help the individual or the company.
• Actionable: The feedback must focus on what the recipient can do differently to improve.

Receiving Feedback:

• Appreciate: The recipient should listen with an open mind and show gratitude for the feedback.
• Accept or Discard: The recipient must consider the feedback but has the final authority to decide whether to act on it.

Encouraging Upward Feedback

The higher you get in an organization, the less feedback you receive, which increases the risk of making “naked emperor” mistakes. Solicit and reward feedback from your subordinates to stay grounded and effective. When a subordinate provides tough feedback, respond with “belonging cues” like a calm tone and a “thank you” to show that candor is safe. Publicly sharing the feedback you receive from your team signals to the entire company that honesty is expected and celebrated.

Eliminating the “Brilliant Jerk”

A culture of candor can easily be misused by people who use “honesty” as a weapon to hurt others. These individuals are often referred to as brilliant jerks, and they are toxic to team collaboration. Even if someone is a high performer, their inability to follow the “Aim to Assist” guideline makes them a liability. Fire jerks regardless of their talent to protect the culture of candor. If people are afraid that feedback will be used to humiliate them, they will stop being honest, and the organization’s growth will stall.

Feedback as a Loyalty Requirement

At Netflix, it is considered disloyal to the company if you fail to speak up when you have a dissenting opinion or helpful feedback. Silence is viewed as a choice to let the company fail or underperform. Teach employees that speaking up is a duty, not an option. When people realize that their silence is harming their colleagues’ success, they are more likely to overcome the social anxiety associated with being direct and honest.

Chapter 3a: Now Begin Removing Controls – Remove Vacation Policy

Once you have high talent density and a culture of candor, you can start ripping pages out of the employee handbook. One of the first symbols of control to go should be the vacation policy. By telling employees “take some vacation,” rather than allotting a specific number of days, you signal that you trust their judgment. This move shifts the focus from “tracking hours” to “achieving results,” which is the hallmark of a high-performance, creative workforce.

Leading by Example in Time Off

A “no vacation policy” will only work if the leaders in the organization take significant amounts of time off and talk about it. If the CEO never takes a break, the employees will perceive “unlimited vacation” as “no vacation.” Model big vacation-taking to give your team the psychological permission to do the same. When leaders share photos of their trips and talk about their time away, it sets the context that resting and recharging are essential components of high-level work.

Setting Context for Unlimited Vacation

Removing a policy creates a vacuum that must be filled with clear context. Managers must discuss with their teams when it is appropriate to be away and how to ensure their absence doesn’t harm the business. For example, the accounting department may decide that no one takes vacation in January during the year-end close. Discuss vacation parameters openly so that employees understand the difference between freedom and irresponsibility. Clear context prevents the chaos that occurs when people take time off during critical deadlines.

The Innovation Benefits of Resting

Creative breakthroughs rarely happen when someone is chained to their desk for 60 hours a week. Many of Netflix’s most important technical and strategic innovations occurred while employees were on vacation or hiking. Encourage time off to provide mental bandwidth, allowing the brain to see problems with fresh eyes. By removing the “use it or lose it” pressure of traditional policies, you allow employees to organize their lives in ways that maximize their long-term creativity and energy.

Chapter 3b: Remove Travel and Expense Approvals

Most companies waste thousands of hours on the bureaucracy of travel and expense (T&E) approvals. By replacing a complex policy with a five-word guideline—“Act in Netflix’s Best Interest”—you empower employees to move fast and make smart choices. This approach assumes that high-performing, responsible adults don’t need to be policed on how they spend company money. While a few people may abuse the system, the gains in speed and trust far outweigh the losses from occasional overspending.

Shifting from Pre-Approval to Post-Audit

Instead of requiring a manager’s signature before every purchase, allow employees to spend what they need and check receipts on the back end. This removes the bottleneck of the approval process and lets teams move at the speed of business. Finance teams can audit a random sample of expenses annually to ensure compliance. Set context at the front end by asking employees to imagine they have to stand up and explain their purchase to the CFO. If they can comfortably explain why the expense helps the company, they should go ahead.

The “One Strike” Rule for Expense Abuse

Freedom and responsibility only work if there are severe consequences for those who violate the trust. If an employee is found to be cheating the system—such as expensing personal family meals or luxury vacations—they should be fired immediately and publicly. At Netflix, expense abuse is treated as a moral failure rather than a mistake. Share the stories of those fired for abuse (without naming names if necessary) so the entire organization understands that the freedom they enjoy is predicated on their integrity.

Efficiency and Frugality Without Rules

Paradoxically, removing spending limits often leads to more frugal behavior. When employees are given a “limit” (like $300 for a hotel), they often spend exactly $300. When they are told to “act in the company’s best interest,” they often choose more modest options to show they have good judgment. Trusting employees leads to ownership, and people are generally more careful with money when they feel personally responsible for it. This shift in mindset creates a faster organization that doesn’t require an army of auditors to function.

Chapter 4: Fortify Talent Density – Pay Top of Personal Market

In the creative economy, a “rock star” performer can be ten times (or even a hundred times) more valuable than an average employee. To maintain high talent density, you must pay at the top of the personal market for every creative role. This means paying more than any other company would offer that specific person. This strategy allows you to hire one exceptional person to do the work of several average people, creating a lean, high-performing organization that is incredibly fast and innovative.

The “Rock Star” Principle in Creative Roles

For operational roles (like a bus driver), the best performer is only marginally better than the average. But for creative roles (like a software engineer or a marketing director), the best is exponentially better. Focus your compensation budget on creative roles where the impact of an elite performer is highest. Paying one person $250,000 is often more effective than paying three people $80,000 each, as it reduces the management overhead and increases the quality of decision-making on the team.

Eliminating Performance Bonuses

Netflix does not use contingent bonuses because they are based on the flawed premise that you can predict the future. In a fast-moving industry, a goal set in January may be irrelevant by June. Put all bonus money into the base salary to give employees the security they need to take creative risks. Research shows that high-stakes bonuses can actually decrease performance on cognitive and creative tasks by inducing stress. High performers are naturally motivated to succeed; they don’t need a “carrot” to do their best work.

Adjusting Salaries Based on Market Value, Not “Raise Pools”

Most companies use “raise pools” (e.g., a 3% annual increase), which often fails to keep up with an employee’s rising market value. If a superstar’s market rate jumps by 20% in one year, a 3% raise is a recipe for losing them to a competitor. Adjust salaries throughout the year based on what that specific person could get elsewhere. If you see the market for a certain skill set heating up, raise the salary before the employee even asks. This proactive approach ensures that your best people never have a reason to look for a job elsewhere.

Encouraging Employees to Talk to Recruiters

To ensure you are paying top of market, you need data. The best way for an employee to know their worth is to take calls from recruiters and even go on interviews. Encourage your team to find out their market value and share that information with you. If a recruiter offers your employee 30% more, you have the opportunity to match it and keep the talent. This transparency removes the “traitor” stigma associated with interviewing and turns salary discussions into data-driven business conversations.

Chapter 5: Pump Up Candor – Open the Books

Most companies keep sensitive information locked away in “the corner office,” which signals a lack of trust and prevents employees from making informed decisions. Netflix practices “sunshining,” which means sharing almost all company information with every employee. From quarterly financials to secret strategy documents, transparency ensures that everyone understands the “North Star” of the business. When employees are treated like owners, they behave like owners, taking more responsibility for the company’s ultimate success.

Sharing “Naked” Financial Data

Netflix is likely the only public company that shares its financial results with hundreds of managers weeks before the quarter is reported to Wall Street. While this carries a risk of insider trading, the benefits of building trust far outweigh the risk of a leak. When you hide information, you create a “class system” in the office. Remove the umbrella over your workers and let them see the “rain” of financial reality. Training every employee to read a P&L statement empowers them to understand how their daily work impacts the bottom line.

Transparency in Reorganizations and Layoffs

When a leader is considering a reorganization or a layoff, the instinct is often to keep it a secret until the final minute to “avoid distraction.” Netflix does the opposite by sharing the possibility of changes early, even when they are only 50% certain. While this causes temporary anxiety, it respects employees’ dignity and allows them to make informed life choices. Treat your employees like adults who can handle difficult news. Honesty about the future build long-term loyalty that survives even the most difficult business cycles.

“Shout Mistakes, Whisper Wins”

When a leader makes a mistake, the standard corporate move is to cover it up or spin it to maintain an image of competence. At Netflix, leaders are encouraged to publicly and loudly sunshine their errors. Admitting a mistake (like a bad hire or a failed project) builds trust and signals that taking risks is safe. When the CEO “shouts” their mistakes, it gives everyone else the permission to be honest about their own failures. This leads to faster learning across the entire organization.

The Limits of Transparency: Personal Privacy

While business transparency is encouraged, personal issues (such as an employee’s struggle with illness or addiction) remain private. Distinguish between work-related events and personal struggles when deciding what to share. If a firing is based on performance or a breach of trust, the reasons should be shared openly with the team to prevent gossip and clarify the bar for excellence. If the situation is purely personal, the individual’s right to privacy trumps the organization’s desire for transparency.

Chapter 6: Now Release More Controls – No Decision-Making Approvals Needed

The traditional “decision-making pyramid” slows companies down because the boss must approve every major move. Netflix operates on a dispersed decision-making model where the “Informed Captain” of a project has the authority to sign contracts and greenlight initiatives without a manager’s signature. The role of the boss is not to approve the decision, but to provide the context that allows the employee to make a great choice. This allows the company to move at lightning speed and take bold bets that a centralized hierarchy would never allow.

The Principle: Don’t Seek to Please Your Boss

Employees are traditionally conditioned to “guess” what their boss would want and act accordingly. This leads to safe, middle-of-the-road decisions. Teach your team that their goal is to do what is best for the company, not to make the manager happy. If a junior employee believes a $3 million deal is right for Netflix, they should be able to sign it even if their manager is skeptical. This “Informed Captain” model ensures that the person closest to the data is the one making the call.

The Netflix Innovation Cycle

To ensure that dispersed decision-making leads to success, employees follow a four-step cycle when they have a big idea:

1. Farm for Dissent: Publicly share the idea and invite colleagues to point out flaws.
2. Test It Out: For big bets, run a small-scale trial to collect data.
3. The Informed Captain Places Their Bet: After hearing the feedback, the individual makes the final decision.
4. Celebrate Success or Sunshine Failure: If the bet fails, the captain must publicly explain what happened and what they learned.

Farming for Dissent to Avoid Groupthink

“Farming for dissent” means actively looking for people who disagree with your proposal. It is considered disloyal to the company to stay silent if you think an idea is bad. By forcing dissenting opinions into the open, the Informed Captain can refine their strategy and avoid blind spots. This is not a “vote”—the Captain still makes the final decision—but it ensures that the decision is made with the best possible information and a full understanding of the risks.

The Power of the “Hand-Signed” Contract

At Netflix, the person who negotiates the deal is the one who signs the contract, regardless of their level in the hierarchy. Eliminate “V.P. sign-offs” to instill a deep sense of ownership in your staff. When a junior manager knows their name is on a $100 million agreement, they feel a weight of responsibility that no amount of oversight could replicate. This psychological investment drives them to work harder and more meticulously to ensure the project succeeds.

Chapter 7: Max Up Talent Density – The Keeper Test

Maintaining high talent density requires managers to be disciplined and courageous about who stays on the team. Netflix replaces the traditional “Performance Improvement Plan” (PIP) with a simpler tool: The Keeper Test. If a manager wouldn’t fight to keep an employee who was thinking of leaving, they should give that employee a generous severance package and find a “star” for that position. This ensures that the organization remains a “pro sports team” rather than a “family,” where every seat is occupied by the best possible player for the current stage of the business.

Applying the Keeper Test Daily

Managers should regularly ask themselves: “If this person wanted to leave, would I fight hard to keep them?” If the answer is “no,” then the person is merely “adequate” and should be replaced. This isn’t about the person being “bad” or “unskilled”; it’s about whether they are the absolute best person for the company’s current needs. Avoid “stack ranking” or quotas, which foster internal competition. The goal is an “absolute” bar for excellence where everyone can win if they are all stars.

The “Keeper Test Prompt” for Employees

To reduce the fear of being fired, employees are encouraged to ask their bosses: “If I were thinking of leaving, how hard would you work to change my mind?” This “Keeper Test Prompt” brings performance discussions into the open and ensures that no one is ever blindsided by a firing. It allows the employee to get an honest assessment of where they stand and what they need to do to improve. Honesty about job security actually reduces anxiety more than vague reassurances do.

Severance Over Performance Improvement Plans

In most companies, firing someone involves a long, humiliating PIP process designed primarily to prevent lawsuits. Netflix views this as a waste of time and money. Instead, they offer a large, up-front severance package (often 4-9 months’ pay) to anyone who is no longer a fit. This allows the individual to move on with their dignity and financial security intact, while the team can immediately begin searching for a higher-performing replacement. Pay people to leave gracefully to maintain the health of the organization.

“Team, Not a Family”

While a family is based on unconditional love and staying together regardless of performance, a pro sports team is based on cohesion and winning. Netflix managers must act like coaches who are constantly looking for ways to upgrade the roster. Foster deep relationships and camaraderie, but be clear that the commitment is to the team’s mission. When people understand that they are playing for their spot, they are more likely to push themselves to the highest levels of performance.

Chapter 8: Max Up Candor – A Circle of Feedback

As an organization grows, ad-hoc feedback can become less frequent, and “hidden” resentments can build up. To prevent this, Netflix institutionalizes candor through 360-degree assessments. These are not traditional anonymous reviews, but transparent sessions where people give signed, direct feedback to their peers, subordinates, and bosses. By moving away from anonymity, the feedback becomes more actionable and the culture of honesty is reinforced at every level.

Moving Away from Anonymous 360s

Anonymous feedback often encourages “venting” rather than helpful coaching. At Netflix, 360 reviews are signed with the person’s name. This forces the giver to be more thoughtful and allows the recipient to follow up for clarification. Share your 360 feedback with your entire team to model vulnerability and openness. When a boss reads their own “areas for improvement” to their staff, it signals that everyone—even the CEO—is expected to grow and accept criticism.

The Live 360 Dinner

Many Netflix teams hold Live 360 sessions, where the group sits together (often over dinner) and gives feedback to each person in front of everyone else. Following the “Start, Stop, Continue” format, each person receives a mix of positive and developmental feedback. A good ratio is 25% “continue” and 75% “start/stop.” Maintain a high ratio of developmental feedback to ensure the session is useful for growth rather than just a “love-fest.”

The Role of the Leader in Live 360s

A Live 360 requires a strong moderator (usually the manager) to ensure the 4A guidelines are followed. If someone gives a “jerk” comment or non-actionable feedback, the leader must step in and correct the behavior in real time. Choose a resilient person to receive feedback first to set a positive tone for the evening. When the session is handled with care and positive intent, it builds deeper bonds of trust and accountability than any “team-building” exercise ever could.

Chapter 9: And Eliminate Most Controls! – Lead with Context, Not Control

The ultimate stage of a Freedom and Responsibility culture is leading with context, not control. Instead of giving orders or monitoring work, a leader’s job is to build “high alignment” by providing all the information, strategy, and inspiration necessary for the team to make great decisions on their own. This requires a “loosely coupled” organization where there are few interdependencies, allowing individual branches of the “leadership tree” to move fast without getting tangled in other departments.

When to Lead with Control vs. Context

Leadership with context is not for every situation. If you are in a safety-critical industry (like nuclear power or surgery) or a high-volume manufacturing business where error prevention is the goal, you should lead with control. But if your goal is innovation and creativity, leading with context is far superior. Before deciding, ask: “Is the cost of an error higher than the cost of losing innovation?” In creative fields, the risk of a “boring” product is usually much higher than the risk of a technical mistake.

The Manager’s Responsibility in a Failure

If an employee makes a “dumb” decision, a Netflix leader doesn’t blame the person. Instead, they ask: “What context did I fail to set?” The leader is responsible for ensuring the team is “highly aligned” on the strategy and goals. If the employee had all the information and still failed, it might be a talent density issue. But usually, poor decisions are a symptom of poor context. Refine your communication of the “North Star” rather than putting more rules in place.

The “Tree” Model of Leadership

In a traditional company, the boss is the “conductor” of an orchestra (a pyramid). At Netflix, the boss is the roots of a tree, providing the nutrients (context) that flow up the trunk to the branches (managers) and finally to the leaves (informed captains) where the decisions are made. The CEO sits at the bottom, not the top. This model ensures that the people closest to the work have the most power to act, while the leaders focus on keeping the entire system healthy and aligned.

High Alignment, Loose Coupling

“High Alignment” means that everyone in the company clearly understands the strategy and the “why” behind the work. “Loose Coupling” means that individual teams can execute their part of the strategy without needing constant check-ins with other departments. Spend time in “QBR” (Quarterly Business Review) meetings to ensure that every director and VP is in lockstep with the company’s vision. When the alignment is strong, you don’t need “coupling” (meetings, approvals, and committees) to stay on track.

Chapter 10: Going Global – Bring It All to the World!

When Netflix expanded into 190 countries, it faced the challenge of taking its “American-style” candor into cultures that value politeness and hierarchy, such as Japan and Brazil. The lesson learned was that while the values of Freedom and Responsibility are universal, the application must be adapted. By adding a 5th “A”—Adapt—to the feedback model, global teams can learn to navigate the “Culture Map” and find a balance that maintains candor without causing unnecessary offense.

Navigating the Direct vs. Indirect Scale

Cultures vary wildly in how they deliver negative feedback. For example, the Dutch are extremely direct, while the Japanese are very indirect. Use more formal feedback moments in indirect cultures to provide a safe structure for honesty. In Japan, an “informal” critique might be seen as an attack, but a “formal” 360 session is viewed as a job requirement that can be prepared for and executed with excellence.

The Importance of Relationship-Building

In many parts of the world (Latin America, Asia, Middle East), you cannot have “task-based” trust without first building “relationship-based” trust. Americans often jump straight to the feedback, which feels “cold” or “rude” to a Brazilian or Thai colleague. Invest in personal connections before giving hard feedback in relationship-oriented cultures. Sharing a long lunch or talking about family isn’t “wasted time”; it’s the necessary foundation that makes the “candor” possible later.

Adapting Your Style (The 5th A)

When working internationally, you must adapt your delivery and your reaction to the local culture. A Dutch employee giving feedback to an American might need to “wrap” their criticism in more positive words to avoid sounding “mean.” An American giving feedback to a Singaporean might need to avoid “blame-heavy” language and use more “downgraders” (like “I wonder if” or “maybe”). Be curious and ask questions about how your feedback is being received to ensure the message isn’t lost in a cultural misunderstanding.

High Talent Density Is the Universal Foundation

Regardless of the country, high performers always want to work with other high performers and enjoy having freedom. The Keeper Test and top-of-market pay are effective globally because they speak to the universal human desire for excellence and autonomy. While you may need to adjust the way you fire someone to comply with local laws, the principle of maintaining a pro sports team remains the “North Star” for every Netflix office, from Amsterdam to Tokyo.

Key Takeaways: What You Need to Remember

The Netflix model is not a random collection of perks, but a tightly integrated system designed for high-stakes innovation. To replicate this success, you must implement the three key pillars in order: Build Talent Density, Increase Candor, and Remove Controls.

Core Insights from No Rules Rules

• A great workplace is stunning colleagues. Talent density is the prerequisite for all other freedoms. One mediocre employee brings down the performance of everyone else.
• Feedback is a gift. Radical candor is essential for growth. It is disloyal to the company to withhold a dissenting opinion or a helpful piece of feedback.
• Lead with context, not control. If you have high-performing employees who are aligned on the company’s goals, they don’t need to be managed; they need to be inspired and informed.
• Pay top of personal market. For creative roles, one elite performer is worth more than a dozen average ones. Pay whatever it takes to attract and keep the best.
• The Informed Captain model. Disperse decision-making power to the people closest to the work. Eliminate approval hierarchies to increase speed and ownership.

Immediate Actions to Take Today

• Run the Keeper Test. Look at your team and ask: “If [Employee Name] wanted to leave tomorrow, would I fight to keep them?” If not, start the process of a generous exit.
• Schedule a feedback session. During your next one-on-one, ask your subordinate for feedback on how you can be a better leader. Respond only with “thank you.”
• Remove a small control. Pick one minor approval process or expense rule and eliminate it today. Tell the team: “I trust your judgment to act in the company’s best interest.”
• Sunshine a mistake. In your next team meeting, share a recent error you made, what you learned, and how it will change your future actions.
• Share a strategy document. Identify a piece of information usually reserved for “executives only” and share it with your entire team to build feelings of ownership.

Questions for Personal Application

• Am I managing my team like a “family” that tolerates mediocrity or a “pro sports team” that demands excellence?
• Do my employees feel safe enough to tell me when I am wrong, or am I a “naked emperor”?
• How much time am I wasting on “approving” decisions that my talented team members are already capable of making themselves?
• If I removed all spending and vacation policies tomorrow, do I have the talent density necessary to prevent the organization from collapsing into chaos?
• Is my current compensation model attracting “average” people or “rock stars” who will reinvent the future of the industry?