Transition::IT

Leadership and Cultural Change

mike d. kail :: @mdkailVP of IT OperationsNetflix

Results of Resistance and Reaction to

Change

15% Anger

40% Distrust

30% Uncertain

15% Positive

How can the Positive 15% get the others to at least consider the

the concept of change?

By Increasing Resiliency“the ability to adjust to, or recover from, change”

❖ Direct and Clear Communication

❖ Encourage Questions

❖ Accept Input (criticism and praise) from Others

❖ Don’t be Quick to Judge

❖ Work on Planning and Organization

❖ Remain Open to the Idea of Change

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

100% commitment to changing the culture

Now What?

Continue to evolve and look for

opportunities to push the edges

Keep

Calm

Create

Disruption,

Innovation,

and

Revolution

Defining Culture

❖ Beliefs, Values, and Attitude

➢ Define these anchors first

■ e.g. Passion, Curiosity, Judgement, Impact …

❖ Executives start by leading by example

➢ Assess yourself and peers

■ Is everyone a High Performer?

➢ Hard Work != Performance

■ Number of hours worked per week poor indicator

➢ Remove “Brilliant Jerks”

■ Passive-Aggressiveness is another toxic trait

Improving Culture

❖ Look to continue to raise the talent bar

➢ high performers have a 10x impact on the business

➢ should improve collaboration, not internal competition

❖ Don’t settle when interviewing/hiring

➢ a B or C player starts to lower the talent bar

❖ Responsible employees thrive

➢ self-motivated

➢ driven to improve

➢ have leadership qualities, even as individual contributor

Traditional IT needs a 10x change

Change Starts With A Vision

❖ What is IT’s Mission Statement?

➢ e.g. “Improve Efficiency and Reduce Process”

❖ Continual Evolvement

➢ Enhance your skills

❖ Collaboration with LOB

➢ Engage and Enable

❖ Operational Efficiency

➢ Empower via service model

Continued Change Requires Continued

Effort and Focus

❖ Continue to Reinforce Reasons for Change

❖ Set Clear Objectives (Short and Long Term)

❖ Be Accessible

❖ Be an Active Listener

❖ Focus on Actions and Results

❖ Celebrate Wins

❖ Work on your “EQ” (Acknowledge Emotions)

❖ Direct and Candid Feedback