Bezos letters to shareholders are a masterclass in leadership
Jeff Bezos has been writing a letter to shareholders since 1997 and looking at all of them gives an insight to the organisation and a masterclass in leadership. This is a series of short blogs that gives you a snap shot / key takes outs of each letter, along with links to them all.
Andrew is Managing Partner at NorthBailey : after nearly two decades in data driven insight and marketing leadership roles at UK grocers , he’s using his experience and network to help NorthBailey clients.
Move fast and focus on outcomes
“Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always…
Don’t deliberate over easily reversible decisions
Bezos recognised failure and invention are inseperable twins: to remain i
Bet on ideas with unlimited upside
“A dreamy business product has at least four characteristics. Customers love it, it can grow to very large size, it has strong…
Decentralise decision making to drive innovation
“We have the good fortune of a large, inventive team and a patient, pioneering, customer-obsessed culture — great innovations, large and small,…
Surprise and delight your customers to build long term trust & customer lifetime value
“When we’re at our best, we don’t wait for external pressures. We are internally driven to improve our services, adding benefits and…
self serve platforms unlock innovation
Self-service platforms unlock innovation “I am emphasizing the self-service nature of these platforms because it’s important for a reason I think…
R&D should pervade every department
“And while many of our systems are based on the latest in computer science research, this often hasn’t been sufficient: our architects…
Focus on inputs – the outputs will take care of themselves
“Senior leaders that are new to Amazon are often surprised by how little time we spend discussing actual financial results or debating…
Work backwards from customers needs vs skills forwards approach
Takeaway “’Working backwards’ from customer needs can be contrasted with a ‘skills-forward’ approach where existing skills and competencies are used to drive…
Missionaries build better products- the kindle story
“We started by setting ourselves the admittedly audacious goal of improving upon the physical book. We did not choose that goal lightly.…
Nurture your seedlings to build big lines of business
“In some large companies, it might be difficult to grow new businesses from tiny seeds because of the patience and nurturing required.…
look to CX improvements to tip business decisions
“Math-based decisions command wide agreement, whereas judgment-based decisions are rightly debated and often controversial, at least until put into practice and demonstrated.…
Focus on free cash flow to enable more innovation
“Our ultimate financial measure, and the one we most want to drive over the long-term, is free cash flow per share.Why not…
design your organisation with long term goals
“Long-term thinking is both a requirement and an outcome of true ownership. Owners are different from tenants. I know of a couple…
create more than you consume
Bezos last letter to shareholders with a simple message: To all of you: be kind, be original, create more than you consume,…
Build your business on your fixed costs
Build your business on your fixed costs Jeff Bezos letter to shareholders 2001 6/22 Takeaway Companies driven by technology have an incredible…
Bezos measures amazon by free cash flow
Measure your company by your free cash flow 2001 : “Why focus on cash flows? Because a share of stock is a…
Build platforms on infrastructure that’s continually improving
“The current online shopping experience is the worst it will ever be. It’s good enough today to attract 17 million customers, but…
prioritise cash flow
“The year 2001 will be an important one in our development. Like 2000, this year will be a year of focus and…
Stay terrified of your customers
If you don’t do everything in your power to align with customers’ shifting needs, and instead allow yourself to be distracted by competitors,…
amazon strength lies in scale
“We first measure ourselves in terms of the metrics most indicative of our market leadership: customer and revenue growth, the degree to…
Wandering is an essential counterbalance to efficiency
“Wandering” isn’t an efficient practice for a business, but it isn’t random. It requires a culture of builders. It requires a deep…
Build high standards into company culture
Build high standards into company culture Jeff Bezos letter to shareholders 2017 KEY MESSAGE 20/22 “How do you stay ahead of ever-rising…
work backwards from customers needs to know what to build next.
Work backwards from customer needs to know what to build next Jeff Bezos letter to shareholders 2008 Key message 11/22 Jeff Bezos…
Stay terrified of your customers
Bezos masterclass in management through shareholder letters 1998 #2/22 Jeff Bezos has been writing a letter to shareholders since 1997 and…
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link to all letters to shareholders
- 1997: Bring on shareholders who align with your values
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 1997
- 1998: Stay terrified of your customers
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 1998
- 1999: Build on top of infrastructure that’s improving on its own
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 1999
- 2000: In lean times, build a cash moat
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2000
- 2001: Measure your company by your free cash flow
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2001
- 2002: Build your business on your fixed costs
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2002
- 2003: Long-term thinking is rooted in ownership
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2003
- 2004: Free cash flow enables more innovation
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2004
- 2005: Don’t get fixated on short-term numbers
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2005
- 2006: Nurture your seedlings to build big lines of business
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2006
- 2007: Missionaries build better products
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2007
- 2008: Work backwards from customer needs to know what to build next
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2008
- 2009: Focus on inputs — the outputs will take care of themselves
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2009
- 2010: R&D should pervade every department
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2010
- 2011: Self-service platforms unlock innovation
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2011
- 2012: Surprise and delight your customers to build long-term trust
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2012
- 2013: Decentralize decision-making to generate innovation
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2013
- 2014: Bet on ideas that have unlimited upside
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2014
- 2015: Don’t deliberate over easily reversible decisions
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2015
- 2016: Move fast and focus on outcomes
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2016
- 2017: Build high standards into company culture
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2017
- 2018: Wandering is an essential counterbalance to efficiency
Jeff Bezos Letter to Shareholders 2018Open document settingsOpen publish panel
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