Hiring the Right People – Netflix Example
Hiring the right people is doable even in China. Harvard Business Review has an article up describing why Netflix has been so successful from its early years. I pasted a little bit below here, and I recommend the whole article here
Over the years we learned that if we asked people to rely on logic and common sense instead of on formal policies, most of the time we would get better results, and at lower cost. If you’re careful to hire people who will put the company’s interests first, who understand and support the desire for a high-performance workplace, 97% of your employees will do the right thing. Most companies spend endless time and money writing and enforcing HR policies to deal with problems the other 3% might cause. Instead, we tried really hard to not hire those people, and we let them go if it turned out we’d made a hiring mistake.
Hiring the Right People Should Not Be Left to Chance
I have used this Netflix method with three companies I led before Netflix existed with great results. I am also doing this with my own developing company now. This method is even more valuable now than when I put it to use.
Hiring the right people came natural to me, and I have built on that over 20 years of focused China hiring. From a baseline of knowing that people with the right character are hard to find and invaluable, I have developed and succeeded.
Everywhere I look, Western Companies have a 2-5-3 mishmash of management staff. 2 are good hires and working for the company. 5 do not bring their heart to work and do not commit for good or for bad. 3 have their own agenda and are actively working against their employer’s leadership. The pull of the three naturally leads the 5 astray. Then, the two may lose motivation and self select to leave. I love to come to work each day to give those two good workers good workmates and give the owners a good night’s sleep. See Recruitment Agency China infographic here.
It does not have to be mishmash. I get everyone on the same page with me heart and soul in everything I lead by hiring the right people in the first place.
Focus on character, and give us a call. You can sleep well at night as I do.