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By Jesse Batarseh, Director of Operations at Amazon
10 Things I’ve Learned In 10 Years At Amazon
1. No person’s problem is too small. Whether you are managing 4 people or 4,000, an articulated problem is a “softball” that produces only positive things. Always swing and know that tomorrow has its next set of pitches so hit it today, unless you physically can’t.
2. Learn to love doing hard things. It will force humility, make you patient, and build the resilience to thrive in any situation. Amazon Operations will give you a Ph.D in this and that’s a huge part of why I love it.
3.Listen and learn with speed, develop conviction deliberately. The greater your influence, the further your words echo. It’s ok not to have an opinion 5 seconds or even 5 minutes into a conversation. Conviction is powerful and is built over months and years; dilute it carefully.
4. Anyone can optimize for just one thing. It’s not particularly impressive. Amazon leaders know we are an “and” company not an “or.” The saying is where the glamour ends. Actually doing it is difficult. It requires nuance, consideration of unintended consequences, and (gasp) the ability to hold two independently true thoughts in your head at the same time.
5. Most people are rational and with access to the same information, they will make a similar decision. Having trouble influencing someone? It’s less likely that they are irrational and more likely that you need to do a better job closing the perspective gap. If you are a stranger to data you’ll be a stranger to influence.
6. Expediency can be dangerous. Getting things done, moving fast, even executing “guidance;” these things feel good. However, stopping to ask “Is this the right thing to do?” is a powerful internal exercise that can be missed when you are optimizing for speed.
7. Low aim is a crime against yourself. The real person you cheat when you think small is yourself, not your company. When you aspire to do great things, you’re forced to unravel mediocrity’s web of inputs; low self-confidence, a void of technical competence, and fear of failure. Everyone wins when you play to win.
8. You’ll become good at what you train. Abilities vary, but anyone can develop competence at anything. Not a “people person?” It’s probably because you don’t care enough or haven’t tried hard enough to develop those skills. Most other explanations are disguised laziness.
9. Don’t marry your opinions. Even data-driven people can accumulate powerful pre-conceived notions. You’ll lead more effectively when your team knows you have a process to evaluate facts rather than being a robot initiating a sequence. Teaching your team how to think is way more important than their ability to recite your opinion.
10. Be thankful. Optimism is a choice, loyalty is earned, and your attitude will drive your outcomes. I feel blessed to have always had the support of great leaders. If you can’t see your own green grass remember that it could be a grass problem. It could also be a gratefulness problem.
Cheers to the next 10!
