Learn To Lead With 14 Amazon Leadership Principles

“You set the standard to which you can rise. Each finger affects the strength of the hand”

           ~ Robin Sharma

Why in two decades Amazon has evolved from an online bookstore to the world’s most valuable brand? It’s not a secret! The reason is Amazon’s distinguished leadership principles.

Jeff Bezos– the former CEO of Amazon, laid the foundation of Amazon’s leadership principles. Recently, 2 more principles were added to the existing 14 leadership principles. It happened few days before Bezos stepped down as CEO.

Amazon Leadership Principles in Brief

So, what are these principles which make people go- “wow”? Let’s have a better understanding of these principles.

1. Customer Obsession

“Keep our competitors focused on us, while we stay focused on the customers”. This statement by Jeff Bezos reflects that the prime focus of an organization should be to serve customers, not to do better than others.

2. Ownership

According to this principle, leaders are owners. A person should look forward to organizational goals rather than individualistic goals. Long-term results should never be sacrificed for short-term success.

3. Invent and Simplify

Leaders always strive towards innovation a.nd new ideas. But innovation should be in such a manner that it connects the target audience. It should be user-friendly and handy.

4. Are right, a lot

A leader takes great decisions, which serve as the foundation of an organization. He’s often right in several areas and seeks diversity. Leaders have a good instinct and a strong sense of justice.

5. Learn to be Curious

Curiosity and leadership go hand in hand. Leaders always look forward to improving themselves and never stop learning. Curiosity helps them to explore new possibilities.

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6. Hire and Develop the Best

This principle of Amazon deals with the human resource aspect of leadership. Leaders have extraordinary skills to recognize exceptional talent. A leader continuously supervises and motivates his team members to perform the best.

7. Insist on Higher Standards

Leaders set high standards for themselves and continuously motivate their teams to achieve these standards. The main aim is to offer quality products, services, and processes. A true leader inspires his team to go above and beyond.

8. Think Big

The great leaders of business and industry became great because they developed the faculty of thinking big! According to this principle, leaders go beyond the scope of the project to serve customers. Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

9. Bias for Action

The bias for action principle deals with taking calculated risks. It encourages the fact that risks are how we grow and succeed. Speed matters a lot in business.

10. Frugality

Frugality means to be economical. Being economical is not only about money but also about time. Leaders try to accomplish more with fewer resources and less time.

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11. Earn Trust

Leaders carry out their duties faithfully and to the best of their ability. They talk respectfully, listen attentively, preserve a sense of humor and be a gentleman.

12. Dive Deep

The dive deep principle of Amazon states that leaders strive to look at the big-picture of everything. They deeply analyze and understand their ideas and actions. The principle is all about understanding the business and operating at all levels.

13. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

This principle of Amazon states that every individual has the right to question a decision and disagree with it, but they should commit responsibly to the decision once it is made.

14. Deliver Results

The success expanding principle of most companies is that they perform at their highest capacity and give world-class results. They spend every bit of their energy and burn the extra 1 percent to follow their commitments.

15. Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer

The best companies on the planet have a single trait in common- They grow leaders in the company faster than their competition. A Leader is not the one who is concerned about competing, a leader is the one who brings out the leadership within every single employee. They have empathy in their behavior and care about their employee’s success. Leaders are positive and inspirational.

16. Success and Scale Bring Responsibility

Starting from a garage to now leading the whole world, Amazon has strived to be a better innovator. They work smarter and move faster. They strive to make things better and passionately discover new ways to add value to their product.

In A Nutshell

On a final note, these Amazon leadership principles can serve as guiding the light in the path of leadership.