Choose one of Amazon's 14 Leadership Principles and talk about a time when you embodied that principle at work or school.
Note: After passing the online application and virtual assessment stage, Brand Specialist candidates attend a series of one-on-one or panel-style interviews. In this stage, candidates are primarily asked questions based on Amazon's 14 Leadership Principles. These principles are the backbone of your Brand Specialist interview. Knowing and understanding these 14 points will determine how successful you are in the interview process.
Amazonians look to the company's 14 Leadership Principles every day. These principles are:
#1) Customer Obsession.
Leaders start with the customer and work backward. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
#2) Ownership.
Leaders are owners. They think long-term and don't sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say, 'that's not my job.'
#3) Invent and Simplify.
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by 'not invented here.' As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
#4) Are Right, A Lot.
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
#5) Learn and Be Curious.
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.
#6) Hire and Develop the Best.
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
#7) Insist on the Highest Standards.
Leaders have relentlessly high standards -- many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high-quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed, so they stay fixed.
#8) Think Big.
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
#9) Bias for Action.
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk-taking.
#10) Frugality.
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.
#11) Earn Trust.
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team's body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
#12) Dive Deep.
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdotes differ. No task is beneath them.
#13) Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit.
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
#14) Deliver Results.
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
The interviewer wants to see evidence that you have put ample effort into preparing for your Amazon interview. Choose 1 of the 14 Leadership Principles that resonates with you the most and tell a brief story of when you emulated that principle in your work or while attending post-secondary studies.
This answer requires storytelling. Amazon asks that when you answer behavioral interview questions, you try to follow the STAR answer method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
- Situation: Provide the contextual information the interviewer needs to know to make sense of your story.
- Task: Continuing to set the stage, give the interviewer an idea of your role and responsibilities in this story.
- Action: Next, offer a detailed description of the steps you took in this story.
- Result: Last, talk about the specific, measurable outcomes that resulted from your actions.
"I have taken time to learn Amazon's 14 Leadership Principles and, although many of them are principles that I embody or am working to grow further, I most resonate with 'Bias for Action.' (Situation) While completing my Bachelor's degree, I worked as a part-time Retail Brand Associate for Company XYZ. One day, a customer came into the store very upset with the quality of the product he had recently purchased. (Task) Typically, our Store Manager handled highly disgruntled customers; however, she was not scheduled to work that day. I had never handled a major dispute like this one; however, we did not have a leader on the floor at the time. Since the customer approached me, I decided to take quick action and repair the situation. (Action) I pulled the customer aside to a quiet part of the store. I lowered my voice and spoke calmly, hoping that he would mirror my behavior. The customer calmed down, and I asked him to walk me through his experience. I carefully listened and repeated the most important points back to him. Emulating my Store Manager's approach, I asked him how I could make the situation right. I met the customer's expectations with a refund and a 50 store credit for his next visit. What I provided the customer was more than what our store policy offered. Taking a calculated risk, I realized that a loud and angry customer could negatively impact other customers' decisions to buy that day. I concluded that the disruption could hurt our store far more than a 50 store credit. After the customer left, I called the Store Manager to let her know what had happened. (Result) I expected to be reprimanded for going around store policy; however, I expressed that speed mattered in this situation. To my relief, the Store Manager was pleased with how I handled the situation and praised my ability to take action. Because of that situation, I feel much more confident in my ability to problem solve under pressure and take action swiftly. Amazon states that speed matters in business, a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly agree. I also appreciate that Amazon believes many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. This approach can significantly reduce 'analysis paralysis' that we all experience from time to time. I look forward to applying my 'Bias for Action' as a Brand Specialist for Amazon."
