Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

by Colin Bryar

At least I can say it embodied the “vocally self-critical” aspect of the Earn Trust leadership principle. In any other company, I probably would have been fired. Fortunately for me, Amazon’s commitment to long-term thinking includes its investment in people. They understand that when you innovate and build new things, you will frequently fail. If you fire the person, you lose the benefit of the learning that came along with that experience. Jeff would say something like this to a leader who had just laid an egg: “Why would I fire you now? I just made a million-dollar investment in you. Now you have an obligation to make that investment pay off. Figure out and clearly document where you went wrong. Share what you have learned with other leaders throughout the company. Be sure you don’t make the same mistake again, and help others avoid making it the first time.”