The Amazon Way: Amazon's 14 Leadership Principles

by John Rossman

The Amazon Way is an Essential Business Leadership & Strategy Book for the Digital EraThere’s so much that any business leader can learn from Amazon about building a high-performing team and organization. The Amazon Way unpacks Amazon’s leadership principles that are the cornerstone of this innovative and fast-moving company.

Author John E. Rossman was an early Amazon Executive who played a key role in launching the Amazon Marketplace business. Working closely with Jeff Bezos, Rossman draws on stories, meetings, emails, and conversations revealing Bezos’ brilliance and dedication to Amazon’s customers.

Some of the insights from The Amazon Way include

Why true customer obsession is the starting point for a high-performing and innovative organizationHow simplification is critical to both customer experiences and scaling operationsWhy metrics are the fuel that feeds the engine of operational excellence and innovationHow Amazon’s famous “working backwards” approach to innovation worksWhat a “one-way door” versus “two-way door” decision is, and how this simple framework leads to speed and accountabilityHow to design and implement your own leadership principles and mechanisms with an “etch-in-jello” mindset
The Amazon Way is packed with relatable techniques for any leader, team, or organization (and if you are interviewing at Amazon or for current Amazon employees, it will be an invaluable asset for your success).

As one reviewer puts it, “Reading The Amazon Way is like peeking over the shoulder of an Amazon insider as you discover the 14 'secret ingredients' - the special sauce [of a] company that has changed how the world buys, sells, streams, works, learns and stays entertained ... you’ll learn how to think bigger, manage better, move fast, and deliver an exceptional customer experience that is essential for the digital era.”

Order your copy today!

The Amazon Amazon Leadership Principles for your business

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2024

About the author

John Rossman is a former Amazon executive, author of several books and a leading business and leadership advisor. His just released third edition of the business classic The Amazon Way which is his story opening up the Amazon Leadership Principles as only an insider could do. Mr. Rossman is an expert at crafting and implementing innovative and digital business models and capabilities, including the internet of things. He is a sought-after speaker on creating a culture of operational excellence and innovation. Prior to Rossman Partners, John was an executive at Amazon.com where he launched the marketplace business, and ran the enterprise services business. He can be reached at info@rossmanpartners.com

Reviews

[Bookwises · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amazon Way by John Rossman is a brilliant, hands-on guide to Amazon's culture and leadership principles. As an early Amazon executive, Rossman shares invaluable insights on customer obsession, metrics-driven innovation, and decision-making frameworks like “working backwards.” His stories and examples bring Amazon’s core values to life, making this book essential for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about Amazon's unique approach to excellence. Whether you’re aiming to innovate within your organization or simply love understanding high-performing companies, this book is a powerful, practical resource.

[Jose Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, with impactful insights into how top business leaders build tough yet successful environments. For anyone who tends to analyze every piece of data, this book serves as a reminder to refocus on what matters most: the customer. Scaling changes many things, but the core principle remains—stay laser-focused on the end goal and ensure it delivers real value to the customer. Overall, a great read.

[Ken Myhra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book ... not Top 5 but still great. Some hard lessons, and some of them I'd never want to incorporate and some of them I'm not sure would work outside a culture similar to Amazon, but there's 100s of little tips and tools to change how you think about tackling problems and collaborating. Very perspective changing!

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick walkthrough the Amazon principles, with some examples of how they were implemented in Amazon over the years.

I've read better books about Amazon, but it's still got some good stuff in it.

[Luke Gruber · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a great, short book on many of the principles that are attributed to Amazon’s success. I admire Jeff Bezos and I appreciate his rigorous approach to serving the customer and long-term vision.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book. Some cool insights. Ultimately, it felt too quickly done and too content with surface level anecdotes. I would have appreciated a deeper dive into Amazon and Jeff’s leadership.