Why All Medium Writers Should Adopt The Netflix Culture of Candor

Lessons from Netflix's proven approach to feedback

Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash

If you’re a writer on Medium, you’re familiar with the struggle of receiving feedback on your work. Feeling defensive or hurt when someone critiques your writing is the rule.

But what if I told you that receiving candid feedback is the key to unlocking your writing potential?

When considering whether to give feedback, we often feel torn between two competing issues: we don’t want to hurt the recipient’s feelings, yet we want to help that person succeed.

At Netflix, they have a culture of radical honesty and selfless candor. Employees are encouraged to give and receive feedback anytime, anywhere, and without hierarchal barriers. And they understand that, though this might occasionally harm someone’s confidence, it is in the company’s best interest to do so.

The organization believes that this practice leads to extremely high performance; and found that in the right environment and approach, feedback doesn’t even hurt feelings.

Data supports their belief.

Research indicates that, despite the discomfort, corrective feedback is more effective in improving performance than positive feedback. In fact, 72%…