371. What Every Leader Can Learn From Netflix’s Early Chaos with Patty McCord [Encore Edition]

The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

What if the best way to build a high-performing team wasn’t through perks or policies, but by telling people the truth?

In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, HR consultant, speaker, author, and former Netflix Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord joins Michael Mogill to challenge conventional HR thinking and offer a candid take on what truly drives culture, leadership, and high performance. With decades of experience shaping iconic teams in Silicon Valley, Patty unpacks how honesty, accountability, and experimentation can redefine what it means to build a workplace people are proud to be from, not just at.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why retention is the wrong metric for building great teams — and what matters instead

• How “telling the truth up front” can eliminate legal issues, improve culture, and drive results

• What it takes to create a company where high performers thrive and mediocrity doesn’t survive

If you’re ready to ditch outdated practices, build a team of adults who own their impact, and lead with context instead of control, this episode is your blueprint.

----

Show Notes:

00:00 – Introduction: Patty’s Unconventional Path into HR

05:06 – The Call That Changed Everything: Joining Netflix at 2 AM

06:40 – Reinventing Work: Cutting What Doesn’t Matter

08:06 – Creating a Great Place to Be From

12:00 – Building High-Performance Teams with Radical Clarity

17:18 – Problem Solvers vs. Problem Finders

20:14 – Giving Feedback That Drives Growth

27:11 – Metrics That Matter: P&L Over Perks

34:12 – Preparing for the Future: Do You Have the Right Team?

37:04 – Stop Empowering: Teach How the Business Works

38:29 – The Future of Work Is Now

40:15 – Redefining Leadership Through Context

41:22 – Final Thoughts: Stop Doing Stupid Stuff

----

Links & Resources:

Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord

How Netflix Reinvented HR, HBR Article by Patty McCord

Netflix Culture Deck

“Google Ideological Echo Chamber” memo by James Damore

----

Do you love this podcast and want to see more game changing content? Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

----

Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O’Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more.

----

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like:

• 352 — Susan Fowler — Why Everything You Know About Motivating Your Team Might Be Completely Wrong

• 328 — Sherry Stewart Deutschmann — Transform Your Business with Bold, People-First Leadership