Amazon's Leadership Principles

Introduction

• Amazon's Leadership Principles guide how the company conducts business, leads, and keeps the customer at the center of decisions.
• The principles support Amazon's mission to be Earth's most customer-centric company, best employer, and safest place to work.

Key Leadership Principles

1. Customer Obsession

• Leaders prioritize the customer and work backward.
• Focus on earning and maintaining customer trust.

2. Ownership

• Leaders act like owners, thinking long-term.
• Prioritize the company’s success over personal or team gain.

3. Invent and Simplify

• Innovation and simplification are key.
• Leaders are open to external ideas and accept being misunderstood.

4. Are Right, A Lot

• Leaders demonstrate strong judgment and instincts.
• Open to diverse perspectives and challenging their beliefs.

5. Learn and Be Curious

• Continuous learning and self-improvement are encouraged.
• Leaders explore new possibilities.

6. Hire and Develop the Best

• Focus on raising the performance bar with every hire and promotion.
• Develop leaders and create development mechanisms.

7. Insist on the Highest Standards

• Relentlessly high standards are maintained.
• Focus on delivering high-quality outputs and fixing problems permanently.

8. Think Big

• Leaders are encouraged to create bold directions and think differently.

9. Bias for Action

• Speed and calculated risk-taking are valued.

10. Frugality

• Achieve more with less to encourage resourcefulness.

11. Earn Trust

• Leaders listen, speak candidly, and benchmark against the best.

12. Dive Deep

• Leaders stay connected to details and are skeptical of metrics versus anecdotes.

13. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

• Leaders respectfully challenge decisions and commit once resolved.

14. Deliver Results

• Focus on delivering key inputs with quality and timeliness.

15. Strive to be Earth's Best Employer

• Create a productive, diverse, and enjoyable work environment.
• Focus on employee growth and empowerment.

16. Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

• Maintain humility and consideration for the broader impact of actions.

Conclusion

• Amazon’s leadership principles represent a comprehensive approach to management and business operations.
• The principles help drive Amazon’s growth and success, maintaining a focus on customers, employees, and societal impact.