Amazon isn’t just an online store, it is one of the world’s leading technology companies. The success of the company can be attributed to a range of components, but its key ingredient has been ensuring that every employee holds fast to its leadership principles. These principles have helped shape the company into what it is today and enabled it to stay ahead of the competition.
Amazon leadership principles
Amazon’s leadership principles describe how it does business, how its leaders lead, and most importantly, how it focuses on the customer. These principles are a big part of its culture and how it conducts day-to-day operations. For years, Amazon had 14 principles. In 2021, after Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO to focus on his other ventures, the company added two more principles to its list. Here is the current list of principles:
- Customer Obsession
- Ownership
- Invent and Simplify
- Are Right, A Lot
- Learn and Be Curious
- Hire and Develop the Best
- Insist on the Highest Standards
- Think Big
- Bias for Action
- Frugality
- Earn Trust
- Dive Deep
- Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
- Deliver Results
- Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
- Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility
These last two were added in 2021, bringing the total to 16. Here are five smart business lessons you can learn from these principles, as well as how you can apply them to your organization.
