Let's talk leadership principles
Every place I’ve worked has had a mission statement or principles. In many cases, they get read during orientation and then... that’s it.
At Amazon, it’s different. We have 16 leadership principles (LPs) and they’re baked into everything we do: from annual goal setting to employee reviews to completing daily tasks.
Today I’d like to dive into one of my all-time favorites: Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit.
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.”
The “have backbone” part seems pretty self-explanatory. But the concept of “disagree and commit” is nuanced and frankly, I’ve seen many leaders struggle with it.
Disagree is the idea that when a decision has not yet been finalized, you as a leader should challenge it—with everything you’ve got. You bring your data points, your anecdotes, and your powers of persuasion to influence the decision makers. This is a hallmark of good leadership and to be honest, most Amazonians excel here. We’re an opinionated, persuasive bunch.
The trickier part for most is the commit.
Commit means that once a decision is made, you get on board—even if it didn’t go your way. In order to ace this LP, you need to know when to stop disagreeing and when to align with your team to bring that plan—that you fought against so mightily—to life. This requires humility, grace, and teamwork, attributes at odds with the force you bring during the disagree phase.
I find this duality fascinating, and learning how to master it remains one of my favorite parts of being an Amazonian.
I really could chat about leadership principles all day. Can we do that today?
- Sellers, does your company have leadership principles and if so, what are they? Even if you don’t formally have LPs, what guiding principle(s) do you have as a leader?
- Community Managers, do you have a favorite Amazon LP and if so, which one is it?
Let's talk leadership principles
Every place I’ve worked has had a mission statement or principles. In many cases, they get read during orientation and then... that’s it.
At Amazon, it’s different. We have 16 leadership principles (LPs) and they’re baked into everything we do: from annual goal setting to employee reviews to completing daily tasks.
Today I’d like to dive into one of my all-time favorites: Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit.
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.”
The “have backbone” part seems pretty self-explanatory. But the concept of “disagree and commit” is nuanced and frankly, I’ve seen many leaders struggle with it.
Disagree is the idea that when a decision has not yet been finalized, you as a leader should challenge it—with everything you’ve got. You bring your data points, your anecdotes, and your powers of persuasion to influence the decision makers. This is a hallmark of good leadership and to be honest, most Amazonians excel here. We’re an opinionated, persuasive bunch.
The trickier part for most is the commit.
Commit means that once a decision is made, you get on board—even if it didn’t go your way. In order to ace this LP, you need to know when to stop disagreeing and when to align with your team to bring that plan—that you fought against so mightily—to life. This requires humility, grace, and teamwork, attributes at odds with the force you bring during the disagree phase.
I find this duality fascinating, and learning how to master it remains one of my favorite parts of being an Amazonian.
I really could chat about leadership principles all day. Can we do that today?
- Sellers, does your company have leadership principles and if so, what are they? Even if you don’t formally have LPs, what guiding principle(s) do you have as a leader?
- Community Managers, do you have a favorite Amazon LP and if so, which one is it?
130 Antworten
Danny_Amazon
I remember learning the nuances of Disagree & Commit and realizing I had been approaching it incorrectly. What a wake up call! Great post @Danika_Amazon.
My favorite Leadership Principle is probably Learn & Be Curious. Maintaining a childlike curiosity can be difficult, but is so important for continuing to chase passions. It helps me ensure I keep the right perspective, even in situations where I feel I am knowledgeable.
Jim_Amazon
Disagree & Commit is such a great LP @Danika_Amazon, great pick!
For me, it's tough to pick just one since leaders need to adapt based on the situation & environment they're in but I think I'd have to go with Bias For Action!
I've always felt that leading by example is a core characteristic for a great leader and being eager to take on new tasks/projects leads to growth!
Seller_E6EfuvxVbfONi
So which one of you mods disagreed with NFSE? Did you challenge it? Did you voice your opinion? Who directly told Kate this is a disaster?
Xander_Amazon
My favorite has always been Bias for Action! I agree that speed matters and for me it jives well with my personality.
Xander
Tiff_Amazon
I'm a fan of Invent and Simplify. I enjoy building and launching something and then looking for ways to make it more effective or efficient. The first iteration/innovation should never the last, in my opinion. There's always something that can be adjusted or improved, and that's an approach I keep in mind when advocating internally for our selling partners, too.
Seller_WAZNnMBpd99sI
After 10-11 years experience being on the receiving end of Amazon Leadership innovation priorities, we have to remark that this Self-Admiration Society scares the hades out of us.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
I worked in corrections for 5 years. They did the same thing. Right until we were out of the academy, then life got real and nobody wanted to hear about it.
One thing I learned there, is that just because some are expected to follow certain rules, it doesn't mean EVERYONE had to follow them.
we only had 4 drilled into us
Courage ended up trying to do the right thing, when nobody else wants to because it doesn't serve their purpose
Perseverance ended up having still shown up for work, no matter how they treat you
Integrity ended up to be a complete lie
Commitment was just what we were reminded of, if we dared to call in sick, once a year
Seller_J46Ruz3VzvWCV
Sadly (and respectfully) this thread only pertains to the Mods from my point of view. It has nothing to do with we, the sellers, who have no say in anything.
As one of those with no influence, we can not just go with:
- "Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly” ... because we had no say in that decision
- "Commit means that once a decision is made, you get on board" because again, we had no say in it
Yes. Leaders don't compromise what they believe to be right ... and they stick up for the little guy when something is wrong.
We follow what we have to, I mean the company does make the rules, but the "get on board" idea is for the benefit of the company. It's not a benefit to any person/employee.
Truthfully, it seems like you are just trying to tell the posters to like it or lump it, in relation to the to anything NSFE related ... even though we've heard nothing about our feedback.
Is that the case? If so we just need to know that no one cares, is listening or will respond ... and things will stay exactly as they are.
I can live with honesty.
Seller_yRkAvv95JyptH
Funny, you mods usually sweep our issues under the rug when us Sellers are abused by buyers, have issues, and have virtually no way to get support. By your own admission, you either "disagree and commit" to do this, or you must believe that the seller is financially responsible for any reason, every single time a "customer" has an issue. We rarely see you having a "backbone" to follow your own polices or stand up and help when we are not in the wrong.
Seller_MyXY4Myx9zVcR
Lordy! I left corporate America to get away from this bull****!
I like working alone or with my spousal unit, and being in control of my work schedule and my space.
