Empowering Developers Through Context
When was the last time you asked someone to do a task? Most of the time, you outline the expected deliverable, not the ultimate goal aka the problem we are trying to solve. That’s the definition of leading by control.
Leading by control was the mainstream management approach in the early twentieth century; a century later, it continues to dominate many tech companies. Most of the time we don’t realize this is the case.
Leading by context is one principle that became more popular with the book No Rules Rules on the work culture at Netflix. The principle emphasizes equipping team members with the information and resources they need to make decisions and take actions; it’s a more effective and, notably, empowering approach
You are hiring highly talented people, you’ll benefit by giving them the ability to impact across the board and not only lines of code.
The Netflix way — The fundamentals
Leading by context is only one of Netflix’s fundamentals. Let’s try to cover them to have a wider context
- Talent density: If you have a group of high performers, they’ll most likely crave freedom and thrive if you lead with context.
- Candor and open feedback: The company has to encourage candid and direct communication. Open feedback helps identify problems and find solutions quickly, without letting issues fester or hinder progress.
- Context, not control: Instead of imposing strict rules and processes, provide context. Employees can make decisions aligned with the company’s vision by understanding the bigger picture and goals.
- Encouraging risk-taking and innovation: Promote a risk-tolerant culture, where employees are encouraged to take calculated risks and innovate without fear of failure.
- Highly aligned, loosely coupled: Emphasize high alignment around goals while maintaining loosely coupled structures, allowing teams to operate independently and make decisions that serve their specific needs.
Loose coupling works only if there is a clear, shared context between the management and the team. Context alignment drives employees to make decisions that support the mission and strategy of the organization. This is why the mantra at Netflix is ‘Highly aligned, Loosely coupled’.
After understanding the fundamentals we’ll dive into why context is the primary one to focus on. The rest will follow.
Context creates a genuine impact
As everything in the world has pros and cons, from my experience leading development teams in several startup companies, the benefits are far greater than the detriments. With a grasp of the broader vision and objectives, employees can make decisions that are aligned with the company’s vision, while taking risks, assuming responsibilities, and being accountable for their work. Some things will improve down the road, and some improve immediately.
As a developer, you’ll instantly feel more autonomy and empowerment. You can make decisions [right or wrong] and take ownership of your work. Additionally, understanding how your work aligns with the company’s overall goals leads to a sense of purpose and innovation. Knowing the significance of your contributions fosters a strong sense of fulfillment and motivation in your day-to-day tasks. It allows you to explore innovative solutions for problems you might not have considered just minutes ago. You’ll find yourself thinking out of the box and coming up with creative ideas that might lead to breakthroughs in product and technology. Soon any problem won’t feel out of your scope anymore, both technical and non-technical.
As a manager, be aware that until now, you might have been one of your teammates’ main source of context. It’s critical to challenge this status quo. No one should hold all the context all of the time. The more context your teammates have, the better, more profound, and more complex questions they will ask. For some questions, you won’t have the answers, that’s a great sign for a step in the right direction. Encourage your team to find the answer via anyone they think might know it, product, marketing, or CTO.
“It made our workforce smarter. When you give all employees access to information that is generally reserved for high-level executives, they get more done on their own. They work faster without stopping to ask for information and approval. They make better decisions without needing input from the top.”
― Reed Hastings, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention
By trusting and empowering your teammates to make decisions based on their knowledge and context, soon you’ll see them thriving and making more impact every day. Autonomy allows employees to solve problems and accomplish tasks utilizing their expertise.
The dark side of the moon
Let’s talk about the things no one talks about, the less pleasant parts you’ll have to deal with, and what you can expect.
This approach doesn’t suit everyone. Some developers perform better and prefer to be told what to do. That doesn’t mean they are not good developers. It means they don’t fit this specific method.
From my experience, the hardest part of this approach is that you need everyone to be very good at their work and accountable for their actions. This builds trust and is one of the if not the most important part of this approach. You have to trust your teammates, your team leader, and the other pods to make the right decisions. Without that, it won’t work..
Another significant impact you might notice is that individuals who used to be the one source of truth and context might feel frustrated. They used to be the people in the organization who everything goes through and every decision is discussed with. They held all the context and used to know all the bits and bytes.
Obviously, it will take time for them to adjust. A great way to handle that is to explain the new approach and the benefits they, as individual contributors, will gain from it. The best tech leads you want around you are those who adapt quickly and see the great opportunities here. Show them that they will have more time to create an impact themselves instead of putting out fires.
No change comes without some bumps in the road.
Now what?
By now, I hope I’ve managed to convince you that leading by context is the best approach for your workplace. This will empower your team and give them a better opportunity to solve hard problems, unlock untold potential within your team while fostering a culture of ownership, creativity, and purpose.
Understanding the concept and agreeing with its merits is only the beginning. The real challenge lies in putting these principles into practice. This transition won’t happen overnight, and it won’t always be easy. There will be obstacles , questions, and moments of uncertainty along the way. That’s a natural part of any change, especially one that involves shifting management style and cultural paradigm.
I encourage you to take the first step of this journey today.
Begin by sharing the idea with your team. Order copies of the book “No Rules Rules” by Netflix and distribute them among your team members for further insight and discussion. Foster open dialogue about the benefits and challenges that this new approach might bring. Most importantly, stay open to feedback and be patient with the process.
You will know you’re successfully leading with context when your people are moving the team in the desired direction, using the information they’ve received from you and those around you, by making great decisions themselves.
The talent within your team is vast. Their potential to impact extends far beyond the lines of code. It’s time to leverage that potential and foster an environment where everyone can truly thrive. Start leading by context today.
