Every successful company has its own guiding principles to live by. No matter how big or small your business is, you can learn a lot of things from the Amazon 14 leadership principles PDF.
In this article, I will discuss the 14 leadership principles, how business owners can apply them to their organizations to be successful, and why they matter.
Read the whole article to find out how to find if your next employee possesses the qualities based on Amazon leadership principles.
What are Amazon 14 Leadership Principles?
One reason why Amazon is successful is because of its strong set of values. Amazon is one of the most successful companies globally due to its own leadership principles, which Amazon uses when making decisions, solving problems, brainstorming, and hiring people.
Customer Obsession
Amazon always believes in putting its customers first above all. The company understands the importance of customer obsession, and it’s one of their ways to earn their customers’ trust. It is at the top of their list, and every day, Amazon employees demonstrate this core value.
Buyers are the essential component of any company, which is why work and customers are closely connected. Any business that fails to focus on its customers is set for failure. This is why companies should always put customers’ expectations and needs first.
Customers need always to have a great experience across the entire company so that they will come back and lead to more satisfied customers.
Ownership
Amazon executives have a bias for action When it comes to taking ownership of what they and their teams do. They also have a broad sense of responsibility for the organization, which forces them to think about what is best for the company at all times. They don’t take quick cuts; instead, they focus on the long-term benefits of their actions.
Leaders must consider themselves to be the owners of their work. Every decision they make, big or small, has some bearing on the organization. Avoid taking the easy way out by acting as a spokesperson. If you consider yourself an important component of the organization, you’ll always give it your all and accept the penalties.
Serving others is a part of being a business owner. The servant leadership style prioritizes the needs of others over your own, putting others’ needs ahead of your own. As a result, you are assisting everyone in achieving their full potential, which benefits them, you, and the firm as a whole.
Invent and Simplify
Amazon prides itself on innovation, therefore it wants its executives to go beyond the box when it comes to developing answers. Leaders should come up with new ideas and test various techniques to evaluate what produces the best results. Amazon’s leadership is attempting to forge a new path that defies convention by doing things differently.
It’s too easy to fall into the same patterns and tactics that have worked in the past. To find better tactics and strategies, leaders should use a creative approach. This involves trial and error, and also the acceptance that things will not always go as planned.
It’s normal to be afraid to take a risk, but sometimes you just have to do it because the new way of thinking may become the new normal.
Are Right, A Lot
Amazon expects its executives to exhibit sound judgment. Because the organization places a high level of faith in its leaders, they must exercise sound judgment when making judgments. Amazon also prefers its leaders to come from a variety of experiences, bringing new perspectives to the table.
Leaders must practice making good decisions for their teams. That necessitates a thorough understanding of their industry as well as familiarity with the members of their teams. Leaders must show confidence in their abilities and be open to fresh ideas from team members.
Learn and Be Curious
Amazon is looking for leaders who are curious and want to improve themselves. They aren’t satisfied with present techniques and are eager to learn as much as possible. They enjoy new ideas and are enthralled by the prospect of learning about new subjects.
To keep on top of a quickly changing corporate world, leaders must have an inquisitive mind. Their curiosity should motivate them to improve and learn more. Those who do not make an effort to learn will swiftly fall behind. Make time during the day to read news articles or listen to podcasts to learn something new.
Hire and Develop the Best
Amazon also emphasizes the importance of assembling high-performing teams that can rise to the occasion. Leaders at all levels of the firm, according to the company, should endeavor to nurture future leaders. Only the most skilled employees who can assist the organization reach new heights should be hired by leaders.
Look for people who can add considerable value to your company through interview questions and the full employment process. For instance, if you are looking to hire an Amazon Virtual Assistant.
It is important to ask the right questions to see if the candidate is not only fit for the job but also with the company goals and culture. Once they’re on board, assist them in honing their skills and developing their leadership traits.
Development should be a continuous process aimed at assisting people in reaching their greatest potential. A highly successful organization will be made up of leaders and high performers.
Insist on the Highest Standard
Amazon wants its leaders to set a high standard of conduct and performance, according to Amazon’s 14 principles. They expect their leaders to be the driving force behind their teams’ success. This necessitates establishing high standards, which may even be considered excessive. Teams should strive to meet and exceed that high standard.
In business, expectations are important. A leader who expects little from his or her subordinates will receive less in return. Set a high bar that will push them to go above and beyond.
Encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones in order to create high-quality products. It’s just as crucial to hold oneself to the same high level so that you may lead by example. If you want to get the best from your team, you’ll have to raise the bar for them to reach.
Think Big
Amazon expects its executives to inspire their people by presenting them with a compelling vision. A leader who only considers short-term objectives will stifle his or her team’s progress. Instead, Amazon is looking for “create and simplify leaders” who can see the big picture, solve problems, and take risks.
Set goals and objectives that motivate employees to work more, in addition to setting expectations. Use your imagination to show others the route and convey it clearly. When thinking about the future, team members should be excited, and they may even set goals for themselves. You’re not providing direction to your team if you’re not thinking large.
Bias for Action
Amazon’s executives and managers have a bias for action, which means they prefer speed and action than deliberation and delay. That doesn’t just apply to package delivery. Amazon is looking for leaders that have a feeling of wide responsibility and can make swift judgments when necessary.
They don’t believe that taking a measured risk is a bad thing. In the long term, a delay in their line of work may cause more harm than good.
Many businesses avoid making snap choices or acting on behalf of senior executives. Instead, they like to do considerable research on the subject first. While this is a sound strategy in some situations, leaders should have the confidence to be decisive and act quickly in others. Don’t be scared to make an occasional error as long as you admit it.
Frugality
Get more done with less. Constraints encourage resourcefulness, independence, and innovation. Growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expenses do not earn extra points.
Amazon strives toward self-sufficiency among its employees. Instead of simply asking for additional money and manpower, their leaders should use creativity and ingenuity to achieve their objectives. Any team that has great performance with what they have will feel accomplished and satisfied with their performance.
Leaders should learn to figure out how to achieve their goals with the resources they already have. It’s simple to request additional time, money, or resources from management, yet these commodities aren’t always available.
Develop your resourcefulness and creativity. Stick to the budget you’ve been given. Maintain a manageable team size. As you learn to work within the boundaries and limitations imposed by external forces, you will advance as a professional.
Earn Trust
Leaders should make an effort to listen to their employees and constantly appreciate other points of view. They must recognize their errors and demonstrate humility in the process.
Executives, directors, and managers must also recognize that building trust takes time and effort, but once accomplished, it fosters unity among those working toward the same goal. This is why earning the trust of others is an important Amazon leadership principle.
Leaders should be open and honest with those around them at all times. They don’t treat their staff like children or talk down to them. This straightforward approach earns people’s trust.
Be direct in your communication, but do so in a respectful manner. Have a policy of free communication that allows people to express themselves without fear of retaliation. You’ll be able to create great relationships and provide and receive honest feedback with this method.
As you demonstrate servant leadership in this way, create a supportive and encouraging environment in which people feel comfortable and safe sharing their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and ideas.
Dive Deep
Although Amazon prefers people who can see the big picture, they also want “dive deep leaders” who can pay attention to the small stuff. To accomplish so, leaders must establish connections at all levels of the organization. Additionally, when things don’t seem to line up, this could imply conducting further inquiries.
Don’t get carried away with all the details. Having a lofty objective can be beneficial, but losing focus on the small details makes those goals far more difficult to achieve.
Take the time to figure out where the problems are coming from if you detect any differences. The best leaders never feel like they’re in charge of everything or that they’re too important to handle minor jobs.
Have Backbone
Jeff Bezos expects leaders to question decisions if they do so respectfully and with good reason. When faced with a challenge, leaders should be completely committed to their beliefs. However, once they’ve agreed on a course of action, they’re expected to give it everything they’ve got.
Even if it is painful or exhausting, leaders must respectfully dispute decisions with which they disagree. Leaders are tenacious and have conviction. They fully commit once a decision has been made.
Deliver Results
Leaders at Amazon are expected to produce positive results on any project they are working on. Leaders must consider essential inputs and ensure that they are delivered on schedule. Because management and customers anticipate quick delivery, it is a requirement of Amazon’s core values.
Leaders concentrate on their company’s critical inputs and ensure that they are delivered in a timely and high-quality manner. Regardless of failures, they rise to the challenge and never give up.
Why do Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles Matter?
Consider the 14 principles as a kind of framework for other organizations. They lay the foundation for the ideals that have helped Amazon become a worldwide leader. Amazon’s actions and decisions are supposed to be guided by these ideals.
They function as mentors to new employees as well as seasoned employees with years of expertise. The principles assist employees in putting themselves in the best position to thrive at Amazon while also assisting them in hiring exceptional employees.
What are the Levels of Leadership at Amazon?
Employees at Amazon are structured into 12 tiers of hierarchy.
- Level 12 – Jeff Bezos (Founder and Executive Chairman)
- Level 11 – CEOs, SVPs
- Level 9-10 – Vice Presidents
- Level 8 – Directors
- Level 7 – Senior Managers
- Level 6 to 4 – Individual Contributors and Managers
- Level 3 to 1 – Fulfillment center workers, support staff, and other similar roles
Amazon is organized into teams, each of which is responsible for a specific product and business rather than a function such as marketing, product development, or engineering. Amazon’s top executives are usually strong general managers, not functional experts.
Interview Questions to Ask Your Next Employees Based on Amazon’s Principles
Companies that wish to follow the Amazon leadership principle can learn from how Amazon applies for the 14 leadership roles not only with their employees but for future employees. During the hiring process, interviewers make sure that potential candidates have the traits under their leadership principles.
Of course, you don’t have to use all the 14 leadership principles since all companies and cultures are unique. However, you can choose some of Amazon’s leadership principles that you think are important in your company or that fit your culture.
Below are some interview questionnaires for each of the 14 leadership principles that you may include in your hiring process.
Customer Obsession
- Was there a time when you failed to deliver your client or customer’s expectations? How did it go, and how did you try to make things right?
- It’s difficult to provide outstanding service to a huge number of customers when you’re working with a large number of them. So, how do you prioritize your customers’ requirements?
Ownership
- Share about a time when you had to abandon a project.
- Share an instance when you were working on a project and responsibilities were not clear?
Invent and Simplify
- Can you give a specific scenario when you solved a difficult problem with a simple solution?
- Tell me about a moment when you came up with a new idea.
Are Right, A Lot
- Please tell me about a moment when you made a mistake, or you were wrong. How did you go about it?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with data or information that was incomplete.
Learn and Be Curious
- Tell me about an instance when just asking questions influenced a change.
- Tell me about a moment when your superior knowledge or observation helped you overcome a challenge.
Hire and Develop the Best
- Please tell me about a time when you acted as a mentor to someone.
- Please tell me about an instance when you made a poor hiring decision. When did you notice it, and what did you do about it?
Insist on the Highest Standards
- Tell me about a time when you fail to reach your own project goals.
- Tell me about a moment when a member of your team failed to deliver on a project.
Think Big
- Can you share a time when you did not reach your own project goals?
- Was there a time when a member of your team failed to deliver on a project? What did you do?
Bias for Action
- Describe a moment when you noticed a problem and decided to fix it yourself rather than waiting for someone else to.
- Give me an example of a moment when you took a calculated risk.
Frugality
- Tell me about an instance when you had a restricted amount of time or resources to work with.
Earn Trust
- What will you do if you discovered that your coworker’s best friend was stealing?
- Share an experience when you had to deliver a difficult message to someone.
Dive Deep
- Give me at least two examples of times when you went above and beyond the call of duty in previous employment.
- Tell me about something you’ve lately learned in your job.
Have Backbone
- Share an experience when you had to stand up to a team member and disagree with their approach.
- What would you do if your direct supervisor told you to do something you didn’t agree with?
Deliver Results
- What has been the most difficult scenario you’ve ever encountered? How did you deal with it?
- Tell me about a time when you had to manage a range of tasks. Describe the outcomes.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you are in, you can apply these leadership principles to your organization. You don’t have to follow everything, though. Remember that each organization is unique and what works for one company may not work for your business.
Does your organization follow any of these principles? Tell us more about it in the comments below. Also, if you are still searching for the best Amazon FBA guide, you can enroll in my Amazon FBA course so I can help you achieve your goals.