"It's really about a mindset that every company is a sports team, not a family. And if anybody in a company is telling you that their culture is a family, don't drink the Kool-Aid. Remember that no matter what the HR team says, you are a family, in the back of your head always say, this is a sports team." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
"So one of the tricky parts I like about what Netflix has done is that they defined their corporate culture as not a family. They see it as a sports team. The reason is simple—if you are my brother or sister, if you are my family, I can’t fire you. But if you’re a sports team, we need a striker; if you’re injured, we need a new striker; we need a defender; we’re competing, and we need to do a transfer. The crux is to accept that companies are closer to sports teams rather than families, while still treating employees well." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
"And I think where a lot of people screw up is that because they feel like it's a family dynamic, they avoid the difficult conversation. They avoid talking about performance reviews or having hard conversations. As a result, they end up blindsiding the employee, which comes across as unprofessional. But if you think about it from a sports team’s perspective, you do the right thing. You’re a professional. You tell them early, you coach them, you give them a chance, maybe even a second chance. And if not, you set a boundary and say, ‘Let’s give you a handshake, let’s have a termination package that’s fair, let’s find you a new job at a new place, and let’s keep the relationship alive.’ The more professional you are in that process, the better." - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on persevere or pivot, Netflix lessons, and sports team culture.
Keywords: Persevere or Pivot, Netflix Lessons, Sports Team Culture, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Startup, Leadership, Thought Leadership
