Twenty years from now, the case study on Amazon will not only showcase an unparalleled customer obsession, and an always evolving invention machine – perhaps more importantly – it will shine a light on exemplary leadership. Two such leaders – Colin Bryar and Bill Carr chat with Moe about the methods & principles that make Amazon – Amazon.
Why it’s Always Day-One
As an early adaptor and an avid reader, I was one who was intrigued by the idea of Amazon, and the possibility of having books delivered, particularly back in 1995. Not only did it bring about convenience; but it was also a glimpse of a future that was going to be very different than the present.
Obviously, a lot has changed since; still my fascination with the organization has only increased. As a keen observer and student of individual and organizational greatness; I don’t know of another institution over the past two decades that has reimagined the aspects of how we work and live as Amazon has. From supreme convenience, personalized recommendations, and insanely-fast shipping, to cloud infrastructure and organizational excellence – Amazon continues to exemplify how a modern organization behaves when it truly does obsess over its customers.
Of course, that experience we feel as consumers, carries with it a steep price for those who help bring it to life – and rarely has there been an accurate picture of what keeps that invention machine churning – that’s why I was excited to see Colin Bryar and Bill Carr’s book – Working backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon. In it, they synthesize their combined three decades of ‘being Amazonian’ into a thinking framework, and a set of tools that will invite you to rethink the manner in which you approach company building, operational excellence, and your own personal reinvention.
A forty-five minute conversation hardly captures the depth of their imagination; still you’ll get a sense of what “Day-one” is really all about. Here are the areas we discuss:
- How ‘Being Amazonian’ shaped who they are – personally and professionally?
- What the outsiders routinely get wrong about Amazon?
- The evolution of Jeff Bezos’ leadership philosophy.
- The Leadership principles and how they drive all decisions – large and small.
- Amazon’s decision making framework and the difference between a type 1 and type 2 decision?
- Why input metrics are a much better predictor of growth?
- The leader’a evolution inside Amazon – from “What’ to “How’ to “Who”.
- The management science that multiplies output and ignites greatness in others?
- Why it’s important that leaders disconfirm their beliefs?
- The philosophy behind the ‘Bar Raiser’ hiring framework and its impact on retention?
- Resources: