8 lessons that made Amazon what it is today

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, a company that is present everywhere! In this article, I’ll try to throw light on the 8 lessons from Bezos’ 27 years journey of building Amazon. Let’s dive in right away.

Crisis demands agility: 

The best example I can offer for this is something you & I have experienced, the pandemic.  Back in the day, a major chunk of the companies was into the layoff mode to save costs but Amazon, on the contrary, employed thousands of workers to boost its marketplace, logistics, etc. as it was super agile, it also created humongous value out of the pandemic.

Wandering leads to innovation:

Bezos has always been a critic of market research, & propagated wandering instead. He’s a firm believer in the fact that wandering unleashes your true creativity. In other words, it never goes in vain!

Result obsessed with the long mindset:

Just think about it, if you move fast & are in it for the long haul, you can win easily!  This is what Bezos has also experimented with while building Amazon. Been relentless and non-negotiable on results, as a result of which Amazon is a $1.74 Trillion giant as we speak.

Bifurcate decision-making:

Bezos has always divided his thought process into two actions/decisions, reversible & irreversible. On the basis of the bifurcation, he divides attention, the former requires less than the latter.

Bet on the unlimited upside:

This lesson is a by-product of the larger Bezos understanding that says, bet on things that’s not going to change in the next 10 years & double down on them because those ideas essentially have an unlimited upside.

Inputs > Outputs:

Bezos & the team have invested most of their effort in what’s controllable as opposed to what’s not. Hence, whenever it comes to innovation, design, creation, Amazon comes up with the best because all their focus is on the input side of things, leaving the rest on the consumer.

Create > Consume:

“Create value for everyone you interact with.” For an analogy, Amazon interacts with third-party sellers, employees, workers & customers.  Its motive is to strive & create unimaginable value for each & every stakeholder it interacts with.

Never let the universe make you typical:

This is probably the best life lesson one could’ve asked for. Bezos gave an example about how things come back into equilibrium with the environment over time & consequently, how you lose your distinctiveness.  In Bezos’ perspective, “Being yourself” is a vague saying because being original takes a lot of effort continuingly, but it’s worthwhile. Which lesson did you find the most valuable, do let us know!

Manvinder

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