What should the 17th Amazon leadership principle be?

This is a real question you may get in your Amazon interview.

Here are some ideas I’ve heard from my clients that might give you some ideas.

Patience and tolerance for customers

I think this is actually covered by the Customer Obsession principle so I wouldn’t use this one. 

Empathy

“In designing products or experiences, it is important to take into account how customers’ needs will be emotionally impacted. Through Customer Journey Mapping, a product manager can analyze the customers’ feeling through the experience.”

• actually they just added this to #15

Feedback

“In my opinion it is one of most important and overlooked processes. Especially, when you are in an environment when it demands to learn fast from your mistakes and giving and receiving feedback should be part of work life. I strongly believe that one of the ways to build trust between your teammates is through a constant feedback, and you can get it when you invest time in developing those professional relationships.”

Vulnerability

“Leaders need to show vulnerability and empathy. The other LPs drive the company forward but also you need this.”

This is an idea about the power of vulnerability, made popular by Brene Brown.

Humility

“Remember where you came from.”

Go high deep wide

“Get buy in from everyone in the organization.”

Think about the future

“The other 16 already cover everything else.”

Actually I feel like this one is already covered. Isn’t part of all of the 16 thinking about the future, otherwise known as planning?

Grit

This is an idea from the work of Angela Duckworth about the power of passion and perseverance.

Work-life integration

I don’t know if this is really the company you want to nag about this. If you care about your work-life balance, Amazon might not be the best place to look for a job.

Always improve

One of my clients thought this should be the stealth LP. I feel like this is covered by Invent and Simplify though.

Resilience

“I think it should be resilience. Mistakes, setbacks, and uncertainty are uncomfortable things that resilient leaders sometimes need to go through to achieve business growth. Adding resilience as a leadership principle would help Amazonians regard challenges as opportunities and help preserve the entrepreneurial spirit of the company .”