Amazon’s Leadership Principles

by | Feb 7, 2014 | Development

Diagram of Juniper System's Talent Model
I am a corporate culture junkie, so I always enjoying encountering authentic expressions of how things really are. Sometimes that’s via a values statement, but sometimes it’s how companies express what a great leader believes and does.  A successful leader at Nordstrom will look at the world a lot differently than a successful Wal-Mart leader, and that’s a very good thing.

 

Hats off to Juniper Networks for this model that captures why it’s so important for organizational strategies and people systems to align beautifully.

 

Take a look at Amazon’s Leadership Principles and you’ll soon sense how aligned they are with Jeff Bezos’s personality and the key Amazon strategies. I especially enjoyed this one:

 

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.

If you’ve ever studied their financial returns, they plow most of their money back into the long term growth of the business despite Wall Street’s cries. As a result, their distribution networks are some of finest in the world and give them powerful, unique competitive advantages. They add new offerings into their mix, gradually building up each area, each one helping you become further connected to them over time.

 

What’s your leadership brand? Whether you’re clarifying that for yourself via work with an executive coach, or as a team for your organization, it’s a powerful leadership tool that becomes more beneficial the greater the size and complexity of your organization.
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Adaptive Talent is a talent consultancy designed to help organizations achieve amazing results and ongoing adaptability. Founded in 2008 and based in Vancouver, Canada we offer retained search, assessments, total rewards consulting, training, leadership coaching and development programs, and culture & organizational development consulting.