Amazon CEO Andy Jassy shares the leadership lesson he applies outside of work
Jassy believes the best leaders are always learning: 'The second you're not learning is the second you're starting to unwind.'
This article originally published on AboutAmazon.com, your source for all news about Amazon.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy believes leaders should always be learning—from everybody, all the time.
In a recent conversation with David Novak on the "How Leaders Lead" podcast, he talks about how he’s applying Amazon’s “Learn and Be Curious” Leadership Principle both at work, and at home.
Here’s an excerpt from their conversation:
"You have to be willing to learn from everybody. For a number of folks in their careers, at a certain point they seem to lose their thirst to learn. I don't know if it's because you get to a certain point and you think you should know what there is to know, or if it feels threatening to be senior and to not know everything, or it's tiring to always be learning. But I think the second you're not learning is the second you're starting to unwind.
At work, I optimize to learn. I try to speak last in meetings. If I don't have to say anything in a meeting, that's a great meeting. There's nothing wrong with that. And I am willing to change my mind as often as I'm presented with information that should change my mind.
At home, I try to do the same thing. Our kids are amazing. They're so thoughtful and authentic. They're so open and they see the world their own way, and I learn a lot from them. I'm often in the position where they're asking me for some advice or guidance, but I've also learned a lot from just listening to their own stories.
For prior generations, I feel like maybe it was a point of pride that you didn't really say sorry to your kids. But I also think that being able to tell your kids when you've gotten something wrong, in either an interaction with them or an interaction at work, is important. Being able to say to them, 'I got this wrong, and I'm sorry,' has opened up a lot of our best conversations."
For more, you can listen to the full podcast.
Next up, Jassy shares three key pieces of advice for anyone transitioning into a leadership role at work.
Sales Business Development Manager at Adroitt Medisys Solutions | Aspiring Business Analyst | Ex-Ather | BCA Graduate
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Prioritizing Leadership and Operational Excellence in Education and Behavioral Health | Champion for Student and Family Enrichment | Counselor Supporting Positive Transformation
1moI’ve been in several conversations where this exact theme has come up. Glad to see it shared here so clearly. Will listen to this one.
Building D2C Kids Fashion brand
1moIssue with amazon seller account Over the past 1.5 months, I’ve been engaged in a seemingly simple support request with Amazon India Seller Support — one that, surprisingly, remains unresolved. The issue? Our products, enrolled under the Easy Ship program, are inexplicably marked as undeliverable to key urban pin codes such as 560001 (Bangalore) and 400001 (Mumbai) — areas that not only represent major commercial hubs. Despite raising multiple tickets, I’ve only received a series of generic responses ranging from “our internal team is working on it” to explanations that don’t align with the ground reality. The inconsistency is concerning — especially when other sellers (and even Amazon itself) are able to ship to these areas. Even highlighting the issue to Andy Jassy Amazon CEO also, after 3-4 days getting below reply @ "While I do not have an update at the moment, I will follow up with you as soon as additional information becomes available." I have one straightforward question for the Amazon India team: Samir Kumar If Amazon is delivering products to these pin codes, why aren’t ours eligible under the Easy Ship program? I hope this message reaches the right team and helps spark a constructive resolution.
IT Manager | Project Management | Team Leadership | Cybersecurity
1moIt's cool to hear Amazon CEO Andy Jassy echo that sentiment. He's entirely right that the best leaders are constantly absorbing new information, regardless of its source. It's not just about formal training; it's about being genuinely curious and open to new ideas, even if it means changing your mind.