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Amazon Leadership Principles: Free guide with Example Questions

Amazon did not become a retail global leader overnight. It started as a small online bookstore building its way from the ground up by implementing 16 leadership principles among its workers and creating a strong work culture.

An important objective of Amazon’s recruiters is not just to recognize exceptional talent but to make sure that its future candidates share the company’s values and beliefs.

The purpose of this article is to go over each of the Amazon 16 Leadership Principles in detail, followed by examples of how they might appear in an interview.

Read on to show your interviewer you’re ready to ace your hiring process and interview and join the team.

In order to best internalize each of Amazon’s leadership principles, go over each of the principles as written by the company, then read the interpretation and the meaning behind it and finish off with a few example questions you might be asked during an interview.

Customer Obsession

As far as Amazon is concerned, they put the customer at the center of nearly everything they do. There is even a story that Jeff Bezos requires bringing an empty chair to every board meeting, representing the customer, as a reminder of who is most important.

Customer Obsession is an integral driver of the company’s continuous growth. You see loyal Amazon customers bringing in more loyal customers, leading to a self-perpetuating growth cycle.

As part of their Customer Obsession, Amazon leaders constantly look for ways to identify and satisfy the ever-growing demands of their customers.

Ask yourself the following questions:

In what ways have you attracted customers in your former places of employment, and then maintained their loyalty?
What actions did you take to rectify a situation in which you failed to serve customers’ needs?
What did this experience teach you?

Remember, It is important to show your interviewer that you are customer-obsessed.

Ownership

In order to be an Amazon leader, you have to think beyond your formal job title and focus on the company’s goals in the long run.

Ownership goes beyond just getting the job done. It means taking a broader perspective. Managers need to represent the entire company, beyond just their own team and look for ways to push the company’s success further.

In addition to ownership, there is accountability, which means facing challenges with courage and taking responsibility for your mistakes – as well as taking the necessary steps to correct them.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What proactive steps have you taken to achieve goals outside of your immediate job description?
In order to achieve your long-term goals, were you willing to make short-term compromises?
Did you ever make an impact on other departments or even the entire organization with your actions?
How long has it been since you made a mistake, what steps did you take to rectify it?

Invent and Simplify

In the same way that Amazon innovated groundbreaking ways to simplify many daily shopping experiences that make our life easier, Amazon’s principles also require leaders to not stay satisfied with the status quo but to continue to innovate and lead the company to a new and bold direction.

It is common for nontraditional methods of doing things to be misunderstood, which can lead to disappointing results.

However, an organization that holds in high regard new ideas and effectiveness, regardless of whether an idea is successful or not, will value your willingness to try.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Was there a time in your professional past, when you created new processes, despite existing systems?
Have you ever simplified a process, making it more efficient and faster?
Can you share an instance of an idea that turned out unsuccessful, along with any lessons learned?

Are Right, A Lot

In your role as a future Amazon leadership team member, it will be your responsibility to make well-informed decisions.

This involves not always believing you’re right.

Explore challenging ideas or that contradict your personal beliefs, seek diverse perspectives, and use a broader and more solid perspective to decide how to proceed.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Have you chosen a good course of action among many conflicting options?
Did you ever adopt a successful idea despite the fact that it was not in line with your original idea?
Take a moment to consider whether making tough decisions is a learnable skill, as well as how making tough decisions has affected your level of confidence.

Learn and Be Curious

Due to its constant curiosity and openness to learning new things, the company fosters creativity, a crucial component for a business that strives to innovate ahead of its competitors.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Were there things you recently learned that inspired your curiosity and passion professionally and in your personal life?
In the future, what would you like to learn?
Demonstrate how you implemented the skills you acquired in your previous roles.
Have you ever learned a new idea or skill that you shared with your colleagues, introducing a new approach?

Hire and Develop the Best

Rather than appointing someone who doesn’t contribute to Amazon, the company prefers not to hire anyone.

As a result, excellence becomes the norm, so candidates that want to stand out need to highlight what they can bring to the company.

A key component of Amazon’s leadership is not only identifying talented individuals, but also providing them with resources to be successful.

Therefore, you should always be willing to share your expertise, promoting growth within the organization.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Can you recall a time when you made a successful hiring decision and what influenced your decision?
Give an example of a team development strategy you implemented.
Over the course of your managerial career, what challenges have you faced and what lessons have you learned?
Describe how you helped an employee develop professionally.

If you lack managerial experience, you can describe how you supported and developed colleagues and team members.

Insist on the Highest Standards

This is a natural continuation of Amazon’s first leadership principle, customer obsession.

As customers are always looking for better services and goods, Amazon leadership cannot sit back and relax. There must always be a push to constantly raise the bar.

As a result, you should always have high expectations of yourself and your team, making sure that you never stay in your comfort zone.

Demonstrate your high standards by emphasizing the importance of detail in your work, ensuring that your end product or service is always of the best quality.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Did you ever raise your standards to meet your customer’s expectations?
Have you been able to meet your company’s goals as a result of your customer obsession?
What impact did it have on the organization’s overall performance?

Think Big

Having grown almost continuously since day one, the company expects its leadership to be ambitious.

In a similar way to the ownership principle, it is important to think beyond the immediate task at hand.

Make it your mission to push the boundaries of what is possible and inspire others around you to do the same.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Explain how strategy guides your work and how you keep the big picture in mind while completing a variety of smaller day to day tasks.
Tell us about a time when you envisioned something big. Have you pursued the idea? and what impact did it had on performance?

Bias for Action

Amazon’s bias for action keeps the company at the forefront of technology and prevents stagnation.

Leaders are constantly faced with uncertainty, so they must make quick and calculated judgments.

As a leader, you are expected to demonstrate ownership, calculated risk-taking, and autonomy.

Due to the fact that time is always a factor, and in-depth thinking and consideration cannot always be achieved.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Take a moment to recall a time when it was necessary to reach a decision quickly without consulting your superior.
How did you make your decision?
How did you come up with your ideas?
In spite of disappointing results, what did you learn?

Demonstrate your ability to work on your own, your willingness to take risks, as well as your ability to make informed decisions under adverse conditions.

Frugality

According to this important Amazon principle the most creative ideas are often generated by limited resources.

In contrast to other companies of similar scale, Amazon does not adhere to the concept of endless spending. Instead, it emphasizes clever resource usage.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Have there been times when you had a limited company budget and had to exercise frugality?
Have you managed to maximize results by spending as little as possible and employing as few people as possible?

When asked how you would handle budget issues, consider adopting a frugality mindset instead of taking Amazon’s extensive resources for granted.

Earn Trust

This Amazon principle is based on honesty, trust, and respect. It encourages leaders to admit their mistakes, acknowledge their ignorance, and listen to others regardless of their position or rank.

People around you should be treated morally and with respect, honor your commitments, and do not make others feel inferior to you.

Whenever your team achieves success, acknowledge the effort they invested, while remaining humble.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Consider a time when you made a critical mistake, and what you did in response.
Describe the ways you ensure your team feels respected and heard.
Which methods do you use to earn your colleagues’ trust?

Dive Deep

In a sense, this is contrary to the “Think Big” principle. Throughout the process, you are encouraged to pay attention to details that have a significant impact on your project.

In addition to thinking strategically, it is expected that you will also conduct a deep analysis of the information and find solutions based on it. Dive deep leaders operate and make decisions by analyzing meaningful data.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Think of a time you meticulously worked to resolve a complex problem with great attention to detail.
Whenever you’re challenged with accurate or technical work, how do you respond? Would you get bored easily? Would you feel it is beneath you?

As you respond, you want to show that not only are you capable of technically accurate work, but that you’re also capable of doing a type of work that some would consider tedious or uninteresting.

Have a Backbone; Disagree and Commit

Despite Amazon’s commitment to openness, it’s looking to commit leaders to challenge decisions they disagree with and stand behind them regardless of opposition.

Providing it is done in a respectful and rational manner. Among Amazon’s leadership, avoiding conflict is not a desirable trait.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Have you ever disagreed with a management level person or a coworker on a significant issue?
In what manner have you presented your case and convinced them to follow your lead?
In the event the decision didn’t turn out the way you hoped, how did you deal with the situation?

Although you’re expected to stand your ground, you don’t want to appear confrontational or unyielding.

Deliver Results

With one of the world’s most impressive growth rates for the past thirty years, it is evident that Amazon puts a high priority on profitability.

It is therefore expected that Amazonian leaders deliver quality results in a timely manner, despite tight deadlines.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What results did you achieve in your previous workplaces?
Do you remember times when you succeeded despite major obstacles? Like a limited budget or a tight schedule?
What steps did you take to overcome these difficulties?
Describe a time when you were able to increase your company’s revenue and the results that came out of it.

Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer

As a leader, it is your responsibility to create the right environment for employee well-being.
It is your responsibility to always keep your team’s interests in mind, ensuring that they grow professionally,

Additionally, it is important to take into consideration their mental and physical well-being, taking into account that the two go hand in hand.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Are there any steps you have taken to improve your team’s well-being?
In what ways do you encourage your staff members to achieve their full potential?
Would you mind sharing a story about how you resolved a problem in this regard?

Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

The last of Amazon’s leadership principles acknowledge the company’s immense impact on the planet, along with its responsibilities.

In your role as an Amazon leader, it’s your responsibility to consider this, as well as how your actions affect things beyond your immediate sphere of influence.

As a global company, Amazon must make a positive impact on the world.

Ask yourself the following questions:

When was the last time you volunteered?
What are you currently doing to help others?
What steps do you take to protect the environment
What are your most important values and morals?
If you can, describe the ways in which you were able to influence the world for the better.

I really hope you found this article useful and that it will help you along your path to becoming an Amazon staff member.

Before the interview, review each of Amazon’s sixteen principles of leadership, the explanations, and the questions in each section until you feel confident you are familiar with all of them.

Best of luck to you!