Situational Background

Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO since 2021 and former AWS lead, is a builder’s leader: customer-obsessed, frugal, and rigorous. He thinks from first principles, writes to think (narratives over slides), and insists on high standards with kindness. Jassy pairs long-term ambition with small, testable steps, empowering owners while diving deep. Distinctive for disciplined curiosity and builder’s empathy, he shows how clarity, frugality, and high bar leadership translate to any field.

Practical Leadership Principles

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1) Customer obsession.

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Compete for trust, not headlines.

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Behaviours to model:

• Start plans with a one-page “press release” from the customer’s     view.
• Define one metric that proves customer value.
• Read real customer anecdotes weekly.

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2) Builder’s rigour, frugal by choice.

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Do more with less and think from the mechanism up.

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Behaviours to model:

• Prefer narratives to slides; edit hard.
• Pilot with the smallest viable version.
• Spend like it’s your own money.

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3) High standards with heart.

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Be exacting and respectful at once.

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Behaviours to model:

• Clarify the bar with examples.
• Coach in the moment.
• Never normalise defects.

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Call to action

Write a customer-backwards narrative, run the smallest viable test, and define the single quality bar you will not compromise this week.