Amazon Leadership Principles are the foundation of human resources at this multi-billion dollar Tech company. These are principles one should learn in order to grab a high-paying job with Amazon.
Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of Amazon is known to have a very distinct management style. He has beliefs and a specific methodology of doing things, which has been ingrained into the very fabric of the company. In many ways, Bezos; commitment to these principles is why Amazon has seen such a meteoric rise.
Within two decades, Amazon has become a competitor of every single industry leader across retail, publishing, logistics, wireless, toys, devices, apparel, and cloud computing, to name a few. It’s now peak season at the world’s largest online retailer, and workers are burning the midnight oil delivering millions of packages across the globe for the holidays.
The company has a unique culture of hiring and developing leaders with a focus on the 14 Amazon leadership principles that have guided and shaped the company’s decisions and its distinctive entrepreneurial, cutting-edge culture.
These Amazon leadership principles were set in stone to build a strong entrepreneurial and highly execution-based culture. Every Amazon employee is expected to adhere to these principles, and the firm tests all future hires on the same criteria.
A lot of thought has gone into which principles are to be specifically evaluated for which levels. Any Amazonian is expected to practice all the principles at work, but they need not necessarily bring everything from outside while yet to be hired.
Amazon is known for having a passionate and confrontational culture where employees are constantly challenged and customers always come first. The rate of innovation at Amazon is intense and employees compete with one another to show their contribution to the company’s success.
To succeed in this type of working environment, employees must show leadership traits that go beyond the norm. When you are interviewing for Amazon it is important to take your time and come up with clear and specific work examples that highlight Amazon’s leadership principles.
This is important to know about since companies very often hire recruits who have a similar philosophy to the company that they are joining. So what sets Amazon apart from its competitors and other organizations? Let’s take a look at Amazon Leadership Principles
- Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backward. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
- Ownership
Leaders are owners. They think long-term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job”.
- Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here”. As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
- Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
- Learn and Be Curious
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.
- Hire and Develop The Best
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
- Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards – many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high-quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
- Think Big
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
- Bias for Action
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk-taking.
- Frugality
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.
- Earn Trust
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
- Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdotes differ. No task is beneath them.
- Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
- Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
Amazon’s leadership principles establish the framework for how everything operates at Amazon. They were written by Amazon’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, and are recognized as the values that motivate Amazon employees and are a driving force behind Amazon’s success
