Who would you fight to keep?
Apply the Netflix “Keeper Test” to your team. If you wouldn’t fight to keep them, why are you letting them stay?
Netflix doesn’t tolerate “adequate” performance. They use the Keeper Test: “If X told me they were leaving for a competitor, would I fight to keep them?”
If the answer is No, you should give them a severance package today.
Mediocrity is a contagion. If you let B-players stay, your A-players will quit.
The Prompt
Act as a Talent Density Consultant (Netflix Culture style).
I am evaluating a specific leader/employee on my team.Their Profile: [Describe output, behaviour, and cultural impact - NOT personality].
1. The Verdict: Apply the "Keeper Test." If they resigned today, is the impact Net Negative or Net Positive in 6 months?
2. The Tax: Calculate the "Organisational Tax" this person creates (e.g., slow decisions, drama, fixing their mistakes).
3. The Script: If they are not a "Hell Yes," draft a dignified exit conversation script that emphasises "generous severance" over "performance management."
The Executive Upgrade
Most executives know who they need to fire. They just don’t do it.
Why?
Sunk Cost: “We spent 6 months training them.”
The PIP Lie: You put them on a Performance Improvement Plan just to document the firing. This kills morale.
Here are the two Execution Protocols to pull the trigger cleanly.
