When it comes to recruiting, motivating, and creating great teams, Patty McCord says most companies have it all wrong.

McCord helped create the unique and high-performing culture at Netflix, where she was chief talent officer. In her new book, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, she shares what she learned there and elsewhere in Silicon Valley.

McCord advocates practicing radical honesty in the workplace, saying good-bye to employees who don’t fit the company’s emerging needs, and motivating with challenging work, not promises, perks, and bonus plans. McCord argues that the old standbys of corporate HR — annual performance reviews, retention plans, employee empowerment and engagement programs — often end up being a colossal waste of time and resources. Her road-tested advice, offered with humour and irreverence, provides readers a different path for creating a culture of high performance and profitability.

Powerful will change how you think about work and the way a business should be run.