Freedom & Responsibility sounds good, right?
Some people hear it and imagine a company where everyone does what they like and structure disappears. But freedom isn’t the absence of control. It’s trust, maturity, and shared purpose. It only works when people understand the context around them and act in the company’s best interests.
Netflix made Freedom and Responsibility famous, but their version sits on very specific foundations. They can afford to hire the most experienced people, pay at the top of the market, and apply what they call the “keeper test”: if this person said they were leaving, would you fight to keep them?
Their model works when you have huge funding and huge margins. But smaller, growing businesses can’t simply copy it. For example, at EnergySys we are a small team in a complex industry. We can’t pay Silicon Valley salaries or just lose key people without thinking about the short-term impact. What we can do is apply the underlying principle: adults do their best work when they’re trusted, informed, and aligned to a shared mission.
Our version of Freedom and Responsibility is built on context, clarity, and strong values. It’s designed for where we are and where we’re heading, not for a company with unlimited resources.
The foundations that make freedom work
Freedom without structure collapses. So we’ve built the scaffolding that makes autonomy safe and productive.
Values as a compass
Our values are not slogans. Each has been built with the team’s input and we go into strong detail about what good and bad looks like against each value. I’ve shared a brief overview of our values below:
- 🤝 Bill & Ted – Be Excellent to Each Other We treat everyone with respect, kindness, and professionalism. We build trust by creating an environment where people feel safe to contribute and supported to do their best work.
- 🔗 Partnering – Better Together We work openly and collaboratively, sharing challenges and wins across teams. We believe transparency, co-creation, and mutual support create better outcomes for our customers and for each other.
- 🔑 Act Like an Owner – Step Up. Speak Up. See It Through. We take responsibility for the whole outcome, not just our part. We hold ourselves to high standards, show pride in our work, and use our voice to improve things rather than waiting to be told.
- ✂ Cut the Noise – Keep It Brilliantly Simple We make the complex clear. We focus on what matters, communicate simply, and prioritise impact over noise so that everyone understands and aligns quickly.
- ⚡ Learnagy – Learn with Energy We stay curious and proactive about growth. We treat every challenge as a learning opportunity, share what we discover, and create space for development that moves us forward together.
Goals as the guardrails
Freedom only works when people know what success looks like. Our “placemat” goals make priorities clear and measurable. We’re only at the beginning of that journey, but they will continue to give direction without prescribing method. Everyone will know where we’re heading and can decide how best to contribute.
Product framework
Structure isn’t the enemy of freedom. It’s what enables it. We’ve drawn clear lines of how our Configurators use our product. This, along with stakeholder feedback, shapes our product roadmap and our prioritisation. The team can then make bold decisions inside those lanes because they know the boundaries and expectations.
Freedom of information
Transparency makes freedom safe. Regular weekly updates, open Slack channels, and shared Notion pages allow everyone to see the reasoning behind decisions. You can’t have the freedom to operate without the context that sits behind your work.
Introducing F&R
Freedom and Responsibility isn’t something you announce once. It’s a system you build, reinforce, and repeat until it becomes habit. And it doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re a small company like us, here is how you can start the move towards freedom and responsibility today:
1. Start with purpose and principles
Before you talk about freedom, make sure everyone understands why the company exists and what it stands for. Clarify the mission, the customer problem you solve, and the principles that guide behaviour. These become the reference points for every decision.
2. Set clear goals with plenty of context
Autonomy depends on alignment. People need to know where the company is heading and how their work contributes. Share goals openly and explain the “why” behind them. Discuss trade-offs, priorities, and success measures so everyone has the information to act without waiting for instruction.
3. Anchor everything in your values
Values are what turn freedom into responsibility. Make them practical, not decorative. Talk about them in meetings, apply them in real decisions, and highlight examples of people living them well. Reward the behaviour, not just the result.
4. Build lightweight structure around ownership
Freedom fails without clarity of roles and boundaries. Define who owns which outcomes, how decisions get made, and where collaboration happens. The aim isn’t control but consistency. Keep the systems simple enough that people can use judgment without tripping over process.
5. Embed goals and values in reviews
Quarterly reviews are the reinforcement. Discuss not only what was achieved but how it was achieved. Did people make decisions consistent with the company’s values? Did their goals align with the wider mission? Linking performance to both outcomes and behaviour shows that freedom comes with expectation.
6. Reward judgment, not just output
When someone acts responsibly without being told, recognise it publicly. Share the reasoning behind good calls, not just the result. The goal is to make good judgment visible so others see how to replicate it.
7. Reflect, learn, and repeat
Freedom works when the organisation learns faster than it fails. Create regular spaces to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what was learned. Use that insight to refine goals, adjust structure, and improve communication. Then repeat it all again.
The cultural shift
In many companies, compliance is rewarded. If something was unclear, you escalated it. Decisions moved upward. A culture of F&R is different in that it rewards initiative. You seek context. You make the call. You own the outcome.
When people fear blame, initiative disappears. When values aren’t visible, freedom becomes selective or personality-driven. Every company experimenting with autonomy has these moments. We are having them too…and that’s ok.
Why it matters
A culture of trust and accountability lets companies adapt quicker than competitors tied to hierarchy and process. It attracts people who value independence and learning. It makes a company like EnergySys a place where people can take ownership and develop faster.
We might not pay Netflix salaries, but we can still create an environment where talented people perform because they want to, not because they’re told to.
And…so can you.
