Amazon

Leadership Principles

Our Leadership Principles aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. These Principles work hard, just like we do. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. It’s just one of the things that makes Amazon peculiar.

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 business 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 talent, 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 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.

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 and 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.

Amazon has hundreds of millions of customers who can benefit from diversity of thought. We are a company of builders who bring varying backgrounds, ideas, and points of view to inventing on behalf of our customers. Our diverse perspectives come from many sources including gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, culture, education, as well as professional and life experience. We are working to develop leaders and shape future talent pools to help us meet the needs of our customers around the world. As we invest in global programs to accelerate our progress, we want to share some of our actions.

To learn more, visit: www.amazon.com/diversity

At Amazon, we contribute to the communities where our employees and customers live. Our contributions can be seen in many ways and these are just some of our efforts to give back.

One way we give back is with AmazonSmile. Whether it's pets at your local shelter, your area PTA or a national cancer research institute, AmazonSmile enables you to support your favorite charitable organizations when you buy products at smile.amazon.com. Because nearly a million charitable organizations are eligible for AmazonSmile, the odds are pretty good that you'll be able to find your favorite cause.

This is a great way to get all the benefits of Amazon.com—low prices, vast selection, convenient shopping experience—and when you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. Since launching in October 2013, millions of customers have signed up for AmazonSmile—supporting tens of thousands of charitable organizations.

To find out more information about AmazonSmile and other ways Amazon contributes to our community, please visit: www.amazon.com/about

Recent Highlights

• For the second straight year, Amazon ranked #1 in the annual Harris Corporate Reputation Poll. Amazon has now ranked in the top 10 for nine straight years, #1 two years running, and this year earned a record-high score of 86.27 for the 18-year survey. Amazon received an “excellent” rating across all six dimensions of corporate reputation: Emotional Appeal, Workplace Environment, Products & Services, Financial Performance, Vision & Leadership, and Social Responsibility

• LinkedIn named Amazon #2 on the “Top Companies Where the World Wants to Work Now” list

• Named #2 on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list in 2016

• Listed on Forbes “World’s Most Valuable Brands” for 2016

• Named one of Universum’s 2016 Most Attractive Employers ranking based Universum’s student and MBA student surveys