The novella about the steamship has been inspiring the head of Netflix for years. This is a position for a leader
Ted Sarandos, one of the heads of Netflix, in an interview with CNBC revealed how fictional stories influence his approach to work, leadership and risk-taking. One of the streaming giant's CEOs is inspired by fiction. Sarandos indicated that his favorite reading about leadership is the novella “Typhoon” by Joseph Conrad.
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More and more business leaders are looking for inspiration beyond traditional guides. Ted Sarandos shows that valuable lessons can be found in fiction that allows us to better understand human motivations and challenges. This approach has the potential to change the way managers develop their skills.
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Sarandos admits that he regularly returns to “Typhoon”, a novella by Joseph Conrad published in 1902, which showed the fate of a man and his psychological portrait in an extreme situation.
The Netflix CEO says he reads this book over and over again. “Every time I read it, I get something different.”
“At first glance, it doesn't look like a management story, but I think it's the most powerful leadership story I've ever read. I read it over and over because I discover something new every time,” Sarandos, 61, told CNBC.
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Joseph Conrad's novella depicts a steamship captain and crew struggling with a severe storm at sea during a voyage. Sarandos was fascinated by the book over 20 years ago and has been reading it ever since.
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One Netflix executive explained in an interview with CNBC that initially he saw the main character's captain as a reckless risk-taker, but over time he noticed how important it is to guide others in difficult situations. In his opinion, the real test of a leader is the ability to cope with unpredictability.
As CNBC reminds, about a decade after starting work at Netflix, Sarandos invested $100 million. in the production of “House of Cards”. He did not ask for the consent of his then boss, and his decision turned out to be a breakthrough for the company and the entire entertainment industry.
