by Barbie Brewer
If I had to use one word to describe my time working at Netflix, it would be “nirvana.”
I started there in my early thirties and could tell right away that it was a remarkable company filled with people of extraordinary talent and creative drive, and that the company believed in and trusted their people. I learned an enormous amount at Netflix and couldn’t have been happier.
But then a confluence of events mandated a change in my life and my lifestyle.
For one, I filed for divorce, making me a single mother to my two children. Not only that but both my children experienced serious health challenges, making returning to work after my maternity leave extremely difficult.
Somehow, I got myself back in the saddle. But as a vice president at Netflix, international travel was a normal part of my not-so-normal life, which meant leaving my children. I missed my babies, and they missed me. As juggling the demands of my job and family became more and more of a struggle, I thought it was the stress that was causing me to lose weight without even trying. I was also fatigued, uncomfortable, and out-of-sorts. I finally consulted a doctor, and after much poking and prodding, they discovered a sarcoma that required chemotherapy.
The possibility of remote work at that time was just that: remote. And so it was clear to me that, with a heavy heart, I had to put my health and family first and leave Netflix. And so I did. I didn’t choose change; change chose me, and I accepted it.
Working at Netflix was the best job I’d ever had, but I simply couldn’t do it anymore. And this story holds a two-part lesson. One is to realize when change must be made, then make it. I didn’t see my departure as a defeat as much as a necessary mandate. And that is the second lesson: Know what your priorities are and don’t let anything stand in the way of meeting those priorities.
The happy ending to this story is that I ultimately found a job with an organization that was way ahead of the rest of the world in embracing remote work, and my career continued to flourish without the need to sacrifice my health or my family. And the moral of this story is that if we look at change not as a threat, a setback, or an indication of abject (or even implied) failure but rather as an inevitability, our shift in mindset can begin, and we can face change with courage and maybe even enthusiasm.
Change is evolution, and evolution is inevitable. When we become fully aware of this, it forces our hand to evaluate how we want to respond to the changing world around us. Standing still, conducting “business as usual,” remaining inert and disengaged, hunkering down, laying low, and praying that the storm will pass are not viable options.
Leaders must look at this through a wider lens. Once we expand our leadership vision and begin to look at change as an inevitable and constant process—a necessary process that facilitates growth—change itself can be seen as part of the solution that moves us forward, rather than a problem to avoid at all costs. Strategies, policies, practices, and people are meant to evolve. Think of where the world would be if they hadn’t!
Here’s the bottom line: None of this is optional. The process is going to continually unfold around you, whether you buy into it or not, and so you might as well build it into development strategies. The question now becomes, “Why would you not want to become more adaptive, more resilient, and more courageous when it comes to embracing (and sometimes even initiating) change within your organization?”
The catastrophe of the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to start incorporating remote work into their business practices, and this appears to have permanently changed the landscape as companies and their employees negotiate the new terms of employment. In this case, change was forced upon businesses and only those that learn to adapt are likely to succeed, as many office workers now are insisting on flexibility in the workplace.
But it’s not only catastrophes that necessitate change; change can be like falling dominoes, one change knocking something else off its feet, which knocks something else down, and so on. Even good change in the world requires leaders and the companies they lead to remain nimble.
Here I will return to Netflix. When the company was founded with the goal of bringing movie choice into the home, it knocked Blockbuster Video off its feet; that company never recovered. The Netflix business model centered on the technology of the time, DVDs, which people could borrow online and have mailed directly to their homes. Netflix was wildly successful, but then technology changed with the widespread adoption of fast internet and streaming.
Unlike Blockbuster, however, Netflix embraced the change and pivoted to become a streaming service, bringing vast choice to consumers at the push of a button on their TV remote or, later, mobile device. And even beyond that, as people started cutting the cable cord and relying increasingly on streaming, Netflix saw the potential for producing its own content and went on to become a powerhouse in entertainment, even racking up Emmy awards and Oscars.
Through all this, Netflix continued its service of mailing out DVDs, but that will end in September of 2023. Some subscribers will complain about the change, but they eventually will come to accept it (they’ll have to!) and perhaps even enjoy the convenience and quality of Netflix’s streaming selection.
Change is neither inherently good nor bad. It is simply inevitable. You can’t fight it; you might as well embrace it.
ABOUT BARBIE BREWER
Barbie Brewer began her career in Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom of the ’90s and is now an industry-leading expert in developing critical areas of modern business performance and culture, including remote and hybrid workforces. As Chief Culture Officer at GitLab Inc., Brewer has contributed to the all-remote SAS company’s growth from 150 employees to over 1,000 in more than 60 countries. She was Vice President of Talent for Netflix when the streaming service expanded from 20 million subscribers to over 150 million. While Brewer is passionate about her career and the future of work, she is most devoted to her two teenagers, supportive husband, and four dogs. Love of family and recognition of the need for impactful leadership inspired her to write Lead and Let Live.