The principles and concepts listed here are all taken from actual companies, and are readily and publicly accessible for view. This document can be seen as a placeholder for thoughts and considerations about those principles, with specific examples. It is more of a “brainstorm” and less of anything else.
When asked for examples for some or each of these principles, be as specific as possible, when possible. It can be helpful to structure your response with:
Source: Amazon
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
Source: GitHub
Making sure that the customer comes first is an important skill that can be applied to any action. Coming up with new features, making sure customers pay more for what they actually use and make the customer happy in the end.
Source: Wayfair
Delivering an exceptional customer experience drives everything we do. We invest in understanding our customers and partners. We are all in customer service.
Source: Amazon
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job.”
Source: GitHub
When taking risky decisions the outcome can be either good or bad. Both cases are accepted even though good outcomes are more likely to be rewarded. But learn from the bad ones. The important thing is to own the outcome, it does not matter if bad or good.
Source: Wayfair
We are Wayfair first. We act on what’s best for the company ahead of team or individual goals. We spend every dollar as if it is our own. We take pride in Wayfair’s success while planning the next win. We always think long term.
Source: Amazon
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.
Source: Wayfair
We are not limited by precedent. We boldly challenge the norm. We continually identify opportunities to innovate, improve, and simplify. We value incremental improvements, but we also look for game-changing breakthroughs.
Source: Amazon
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
Source: Wayfair
We are bold and confident, never reckless. We make reasoned, calculated decisions based on data, critical thinking, and pattern recognition.
Source: Amazon
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.
Source: Amazon
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
Source: GitHub
Each individual is different. Most people at GitHub want to grow in their respective career. This means taking new challenges but also encouraging others to step out of their comfort zone to develop themselves.
Source: Wayfair
We lead by setting the bar high, articulating clear goals, and diving deep. We hire, develop, and leverage only the best. Our leaders continually reevaluate and strengthen their teams and do not shy away from hard decisions. We expect and demonstrate excellence.
Source: Amazon
Leaders have relentlessly high standards — many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
Source: Amazon
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
Source: Amazon
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.
Source: GitHub
Shipping products at GitHub is the true essence of the company. But learning from shipping is even more important. A feature or product that never has been released cannot get GitHub more information. So ship it and learn from it.
Source: Amazon
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.
Source: Amazon
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
Source: Wayfair
We earn and show respect, treating our teammates and partners with empathy and inclusion. We presume good intent while prioritizing impact. We balance confidence and candor with humility and kindness.
Source: Amazon
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.
Source: Amazon
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.
Source: Wayfair
We invest in cross-functional, global partnerships that maximize impact and minimize duplication. We prize collaboration in all interactions - with our teammates, stakeholders, and suppliers. We disagree, align, and commit. Effectiveness and efficiency in collaboration are required.
Source: Amazon
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
Source: Wayfair
We prioritize work that drives long-term value. We execute with urgency, learn from failure, and nimbly pivot. The outcomes of our efforts are impactful, measurable results.
Source: Amazon
Leaders work every day to create a safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and more just work environment. They lead with empathy, have fun at work, and make it easy for others to have fun. Leaders ask themselves: Are my fellow employees growing? Are they empowered? Are they ready for what’s next? Leaders have a vision for and commitment to their employees’ personal success, whether that be at Amazon or elsewhere.
Source: GitHub
GitHub is a remote company with employees from all over the world. The product, GitHub, is also available from all over the world, so GitHub is promoting a diverse and inclusive company that works together to make it an awesome experience to work on the product from all over the world.
Source: Amazon
We started in a garage, but we’re not there anymore. We are big, we impact the world, and we are far from perfect. We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations need us to be better every day. We must begin each day with a determination to make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large. And we must end every day knowing we can do even more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them.
Source: GitHub
Delegating work is important to GitHub. Working in a big company with many people that have different experiences, delegating work most often means that work gets done faster overall. Delegating the right tasks and trusting others to bring results is a major point when working in big organizations.
Source: GitHub
At GitHub nothing is too challenging. At least trying something out is essential. Failing is ok, if you learn from your past mistakes and do not do them again in the future. But with that said, everything can be tried. GitHub as a whole will learn from it.
Source: Wayfair
We value adaptability and self-reflection. We find opportunity in every change, experience, and mistake. We are committed to continuous self-improvement.
Source: GitHub
Being kind is an important soft skill to have. As employee you should respect everyone’s background and be kind in any situation. Being angry or talking in a harsh tone to someone else can intimidate the other parties in communications. Be calm and be kind.