Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. unorthodox
    • ex. Mindy’s work style is unorthodox. I think it’s a bit unusual, but she gets good results.
  2. value
    • ex. I value my friendship with Kyle. It’s really important to me.
  3. candid
    • ex. When I ask for your opinion, please be candid. I won’t get angry.
  4. collaborative
    • ex. Seth isn’t very collaborative; he prefers to work alone.
  5. mediocre
    • ex. The movie was mediocre. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The co-founder and co-CEO of Netflix recently published a book about his company’s unorthodox policies. In his book “No Rules Rules,” Reed Hastings explains how these unique policies helped Netflix to become one of the most loved brands around the world. The streaming platform now has over 183 million subscribers worldwide.

Hastings explains that Netflix values candid feedback. Instead of trying to make their bosses happy, employees are encouraged to tell them the truth, even when it’s not positive. Hastings admits that negative feedback can be painful and his natural reaction is to fight it. However, he knows that candid feedback is necessary to learn and grow.

Hastings also talks about the Keeper Test, a way for Netflix managers to decide who to fire, in the book. He explains that “keepers,” or the people they want to keep at Netflix, are the most creative and collaborative employees. Hastings believes that even just one or two mediocre employees can negatively affect everyone at the office, so he encourages managers to fire people who are not stars.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Feedback

  • Do you agree that candid feedback is necessary to learn and grow? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s easy to give negative feedback to others? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s easy to receive negative feedback from others? Why or why not? Discuss.

Employees

  • Do you agree that managers should fire mediocre employees? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what kind of employees are “keepers” (ex. hardworking, collaborative)? Why? Discuss.
  • Would you like to be an employee at an unorthodox company like Netflix? Why or why not? Discuss.