Book
Title: The Amazon Way: 14 Leadership Principles
Behind the World's Most Disruptive Company
Author: John Rossman
Amazon.com was
in the business of internet bookseller to a global company revolutionizing and
disrupting multiple industries, including retail, publishing, logistics,
devices, apparel, and cloud computing. The
Amazon Way, introduces the
unique corporate culture of the world’s largest Internet retailer, with a focus
on the fourteen leadership principles that have guided and shaped its decisions
and its distinctive leadership culture. I found this book interesting with easy flow on each of the
principles with some examples. . Amazon is one of the globally admired
companies. The book just reflects on the 14 principles of leadership that build
a great organisation. The crux of these 14 principles
1.
Obsess over the Customer
·
Customer don't actually like to talk to
customer service reps, they'd rather resolve the problem themselves
·
Amazon is focused on Free Cash Flow - cash the
company is able to generate after maintaining its base assets
·
Price, Selection and Availability - the holy
trinity
(The three pillars of Amazon)
·
If you are competitor focused, you have to wait
until there is an competitor doing something, Being customer focused allows you
to be more pioneering.
2.
Take Ownership
of Results
·
Successful companies have very low turnover
rate at the top.
·
Maintain an atmosphere of urgency is crucial
·
Breakdown of dependency is a leadership failure.
·
The highest level of customer service is
impossible to achieve without a high degree of accountability and honesty and a
willingness to be direct, open, and honest - especially when things are not
going well.
3.
Invent & Simplify
·
Simple is the key to easy, fast, intuitive and
low cost.
·
Good process eliminates bureaucracy and exposes
under performers.
4.
Leaders are right - a lot
·
Clarity is vital for culture of learning,
growth and accountability
·
Plans are nothing, Planning is everything
·
Writing down ideas in complete sentences and
complete paragraph will force a deeper clarity of thinking
5.
Hire & Develop the Best
·
Leaders develop leaders and take seriously
their role in coaching others
6.
Insist on highest standard
·
Service level Agreements
7.
Think Big
·
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy
·
Free Cash Flow - The secret of thinking Big
8.
Have a bias for action
·
Value calculated risk taking
9.
Practice Frugality
·
Frugality breeds resourcefulness,
self-sufficiency and innovation
10.
Be Vocal, Self – Critical
·
"Hubris"- The excessive pride that
destroys the hero
11.
Earn the Trust
·
True collaboration is only possible in a
atmosphere of Trust
·
Two-Pizza Team is about trusting a small
fraction within an organization to operate independently and with agility
12.
Dive Deep
·
Leadership is responsible for the entire life
cycle of a project and its outcome.
·
Five Whys is an iterative question-asking
technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships
13.
Have backbone - Disagree & Commit
·
once decision is made, commit to it whole
heartedly
14.
Deliver Results
