The 14 Leadership Principles That Drive Amazon

Blogi
31.10.2018
Fourteen leadership principles seems like a lot! However, it is extremely difficult to read them and disagree. How many leaders are actually demonstrating all fourteen of these?
Ian Golding
Global Customer Experience Specialist, CCXP

Over the last five years, a small number of organisations have featured multiple times in my writing. In the vast majority of cases, I have used these businesses as a way of bringing to life global best practice in the field of Customer Experience Management. It is inspiring to be able to share insight and ideas from those who have been able to take the principles of Customer Experience and firmly embed them into the very fabric of  the way their companies work.

The company I have perhaps mentioned more than most is Amazon. Not only am I a regular customer of the global retail giant, I am also a huge fan of the man who founded the company. Only recently, I wrote about Jeff Bezos and why I believe he is a, if not the, role model customer centric leader.

I am always overjoyed when others read my ’ramblings’, adding their thoughts, perspectives, opinions and insight to the topics I feature. A good friend of mine read the Jeff Bezos article and contacted me shortly afterwards. ’Did you know that Amazon have actually embedded 14 leadership principles into the way they work?’, was the question posed to me. I did not. As I say on a daily basis – one of the wonderful things about specialising in a subject, is that I never stop learning more about it. For reasons unbeknown to me, the fact that Amazon have 14 leadership principles had completely passed me by.

 

 

What my friend brought to my attention is fascinating – and goes a very long way to explaining why and how Jeff Bezos has been able to create such a strong customer centric culture in his business. If you have never heard about or seen these principles before, I am sure you will find them fascinating AND inspiring as well – here they are…

  1. 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.
  2. 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.”
  3. 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”. Because we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
  4. Are Right, A Lot
    Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgement and good instincts.  They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
  5. 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.
  6. Hire and Develop the Best
    Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognise people with exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organisation. Leaders develop leaders and are serious about their role in coaching others.  We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
  7. 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 driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
  8. 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.
  9. Bias for Action
    Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.
  10. Frugality
    Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention.  There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.
  11. 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 odour smells of perfume.  They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
  12. Dive Deep
    Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are sceptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.
  13. 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.
  14. 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 compromise.

I. LOVE. THIS!!! Fourteen leadership principles seems like a lot! However, I think it is extremely difficult to read them and disagree. How many leaders are actually demonstrating all fourteen of these? Not enough in my opinion!

Jeff Bezos is THE role model customer centric leader and is instilling global best practice leadership into the way his organisation works. I am inspired by this – I hope you are too.

p.s. you may want to forward this on to a leader you think may learn from it as well!!

 

This blog article has been republished with permission from Ian Golding. It has originally been posted at https://ijgolding.com/2017/07/05/14-leadership-principles-drive-amazon/

 

Ian Golding will be leading the CX Masterclass training on May 7th and 8th. Ian’s last visit to Finland was in 2019, but this year it has been expanded into a two-day event with more insights than ever before. Get your tickets soon at www.cxmasterclass.fi. We look forward to meeting you there.

Ian Golding is a renowned CX specialst, who advises leading companies with their CX strategies, as well as measuring and developing CX and listening to your employees. He is the first one to have achieved the Certified Customer Experience Professional certificate and acts as CXPA UK Ambassador.

 

”The company I have perhaps mentioned more than most is Amazon. Not only am I a regular customer of the global retail giant, I am also a huge fan of the man who founded the company. Jeff Bezos is THE role model customer centric leader.”
– Ian Golding, Founder, Customer Experience Consultancy

CX Masterclass

Want to hear more about CX Masterclass and why you should attend? Read all about it and join us in Helsinki!

Interested?

You will hear more interesting stories about CX development from the best of the best in CX Masterclass in Helsinki this May. The event is organised by Shirute and CXPA Finland.

 

Read all the CX Masterclass blogs published so far:

 

Additional information:

CEO Sirte Pihlaja, tel. +358 50 5700 190

Suomalaisen kirjailijan asiakaskokemusteos best seller kärkeen ympäri maailmaa

Asiakaskokemuksesta kertova “Customer Experience 2” -kirja ampaisi heti julkaisunsa jälkeen globaalien myyntitilastojen kärkeen. Se nousi Amazonin best seller -listojen huipulle, sijoittuen ykköseksi mm. Customer Service- ja Consumer Behaviour -kategorioissa useissa eri maissa (esim. USA, UK, Kanada ja Ranska). Kirjan kirjoittajat ovat nyt Best Selling -bisneskirjailijoita kolmessa eri maanosassa. Shiruten toimitusjohtaja, Sirte Pihlaja, on yksi kirjan kirjoittajista. Hän kirjoitti teokseen asiakaskeskeisestä kulttuurista korostaen leikin ja luovuuden roolia bisneksessä.

Kiinnostuitko?

Tarvitseeko yrityksesi pientä kunnonkohotusta asiakaskohtaamisten johtamisessa? Me valloitamme sydämiä ja 
teemme asiakkaistasi onnellisia. Osaamme herättää asiakkaassasi tarpeen ostaa, sitoutua ja 
suositella! Lähdetään yhdessä juoksemaan yrityksesi maailmankartalle.

MYYNTI

sales (at ) shirute.com

MUUT TIEDUSTELUT

sales (at) shirute.com

Tilaa uutiskirje