Leaders Unscripted

Conversations with leaders about the challenges they’ve faced and what they’ve learned.

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31: Netflix’s Director of Platform Networking on Creating a Culture Where All Voices are Included

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In a business as huge and culturally diverse as Netflix, it’s imperative that you value all of those voices in your team.

Culture is a living organism, and curating that culture at Netflix is firmly within Shweta Saraf’s sights, in her role as Director of Platform Networking.

She’s worked within companies like Cisco, Digital Ocean and Equinix, and shares with us on the Leaders Unscripted podcast just how those experiences have shaped her leadership approach today.

This Episode Covers:

  • How Shweta helps people do the best work of their lives
  • Avoiding a one-and-done approach to culture
  • Guiding culture vs letting it happen naturally
  • Helping leaders understand their impact on culture

Episode Highlights:

“There was a time when more than 50% of my leadership was women leaders and people from minority backgrounds, and that just didn't happen by chance. It took a lot of hard work, but it was also based on the philosophy of creating opportunities for everyone.” - 7:30 - Shweta Saraf
“Culture is a living organism, it’s not one-and-done.” - 11:10 - Shweta Saraf
“It's not about whether you’re the smartest person in the room; Are you comfortable hiring people who are smarter than you? Are you comfortable empowering them and then seeing the magic happen?” - 21:00 - Shweta Saraf
“It’s a different kind of skillset between wartime leadership and peacetime leadership. Are things going well and you’re building, or are you transforming something?” - 28:20 - Shweta Saraf
“Stick to the hard work that is needed to achieve the right outcome, because in the beginning, you might not seem like you're doing much, but that's what will differentiate you if you're in the long game and want to deliver transformative results.” - 34:30 - Shweta Saraf

Links & References:

Constellary: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Suzan Bond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanbond/

Shweta Saraf: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shwetasaraf/

Netflix: https://jobs.netflix.com/