Problem
Your team is not performing well. How do you identify underperforming team members without undergoing a long and tedious feedback and performance cycle?
Solution
Implement the Netflix keeper test. The Netflix Keeper test operates by answering one simple question:
“Which of my team members, if they told me they were leaving for a similar job at a competitor company, would I fight hard to keep at Netflix?”
Retain the team members you’d fight for, and proactively offer severance to the others. Hire real stars to fill open positions.
Discussion
Human beings are notoriously bad at making tough decisions. We are inclined to like most people, and we are also full of hope. If things go wrong, we too often accept poor work results and just hope that things will improve.
The Netflix keeper test puts us on our toes and allows us to quickly identify underperformers. It completely removes the personal relation from the equation.
Netflix encourages running the Netflix keeper test annually for your team and actively letting go of colleagues who do not pass the test.
The result: Underperformance is not tolerated. The performance of the team is continuously improving. High-performers feel at home.
If the concept works for Netflix, then this concept might also work for you!
