A few weeks ago I attended a conference and saw Jeff Barr (
Jeff Barr | AWS News Blog) speak. He is Amazon's Chief Evangelist for AWS (Amazon Web Services). His presentation was all about Amazon's success with building their teams through their hiring practices. These were based on their leadership principles (
Amazon's global career site). When they interview any candidate they typically have five people interview the person each taking 2-3 leadership principles. They view everyone as a leader and hire based on strengths in some number of these principles.
During my MBA we talked about the importance of leadership in all positions but I found it very interesting how important Amazon weighs it in their hiring process. I imagine a company full of leaders would be pretty successful and they have shown great success in that.
One challenge I see with this is that not all of <g class="gr_ gr_1845 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace" id="1845" data-gr-id="1845">us</g> work for a company like Amazon, where people line up to work there. In many cases, it is hard to find candidates that meet the skills of the job let alone these leadership skills.
I just figured I'd share those findings and see if anyone else had any thoughts on the topic.
Here is a snippet of all of the leadership principles, and I really think they did a great job identifying really valuable ones.
Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. 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 <g class="gr_ gr_2091 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="2091" data-gr-id="2091">talent,</g> 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 drive their teams to deliver <g class="gr_ gr_2087 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="2087" data-gr-id="2087">high quality</g> products, services <g class="gr_ gr_2085 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="2085" data-gr-id="2085">and</g> 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 <g class="gr_ gr_2083 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="2083" data-gr-id="2083">and</g> 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. Leaders do not believe their or their team's body odor smells of perfume. 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 anecdote 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.
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Lee Rodgers
Rochester Institute of Technology
Guilford CT
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