Before you start building, ask one question about the bigger picture
A Netflix technology chief starts each task by asking what larger viewer need it serves and whether it can grow.
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career · Why Netflix is betting on systems thinkers—not specialists—in the AI era | Elizabeth Stone (CPTO)Elizabeth Stone, product and technology officer at Netflix, offers a small habit for thinking about more than your immediate assignment. What she calls “step out one click” means moving one level out from the task in front of you, not rethinking the entire company.
She described being handed a task to build a feature for members. Before starting, she said, pause and ask one question about the bigger picture: what larger viewer need is this meant to serve.
That one question breaks into three quick checks. First, what are you taking for granted about the wider context for this work. Second, will the way you plan to build it still work if it has to cover many kinds of shows, movies, and other formats, or become part of a shared set of tools used by many teams. Third, does this rank among the more important viewer needs as entertainment gets more personalized and immersive.
You do not need to answer everything at once. The point is to confirm you are focused on a need that matters and can grow, without trying to settle overall strategy or competition.
Set a limit on the questioning. She said she would not spend too long in that checking stage, because then you get stuck and stop making forward progress.
A second check builds the same habit through people. Look at your work the way your manager sees it, across your team plus finance, content, and other teams. That view helps you see how the pieces fit together into something larger.
Her shorthand for engineers was to leave systems better than you found them, built with quality and reuse in mind. She stated the principle as “do the thing that is right for the broader organization instead of just what's right for you locally.”
Start tomorrow with whatever is already on your list, and write down your one-level-out assumption before you build.
Questions people ask
What do I do if I don't know the bigger viewer need?
Ask the person who gave you the task what success looks like for the viewer, not just what to ship. Customer support notes, viewing data summaries, and a short chat with a researcher or designer can fill gaps quickly. Write your best guess down so others can correct it.
How do I see my manager's view without overstepping?
You are not deciding for them, you are anticipating their constraints. Look at shared goals, budgets, and timelines, and ask your manager what else your work touches. A brief note like here's what I assumed about other teams, please correct me, keeps it collaborative.
Does this work outside tech?
Yes, the same check applies to operations, marketing, or finance. Ask what larger customer need a report, event, or analysis serves, and whether the format could be reused by others. The time limit still matters, so keep the check to a few minutes.