Reflection: 9 Years at Amazon
Friends,
I just celebrated my 9th year Ama-versary at AWS. Wow, what a wild ride it’s been! When I greet new Amazonians, I tell them, “Welcome to the AWS rocket ship,” and rocket ship is a truly apt description!
I first joined AWS as an Account Manager for Startups in Oregon, then moved to Business Development Manager for Aurora/RDS PostgreSQL, then created my own role as WW Head of EPIC Leadership (Empathy, Purpose, Inspiration, Connection) with a six-pager almost 4 years ago. (Find out how I did that here.) I am blown away that we’ve built an EQ community of 70,000 people and reached over a million people with EQ skills in that time!
This is, in large part, due to the passion of the 800 EQ Champions and 100 EQ Evangelists who drive EQ initiatives and deliver EQ sessions in every part of the world. I am honored to work every day with some of the most amazing people on the planet!
I have learned so many valuable lessons along the way, but a few things have become crystal clear to me over the past year. It comes down to the 4 pillars of my life motto: Learn. Love. Live. Give.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻: keep acquiring skills and knowledge. We’d, of course, call that Learn and Be Curious. Go deep in expertise in your wheelhouse, but also have a wide range. You never know what new thing you’ll learn that will help you connect the dots in a uniquely valuable way. This has happened so many times in my life and work. The latest example is EQ + AI. Some really interesting things are happening in this space, and I am thrilled to be at the forefront of it. LBC also applies to people. Be interested in others and their stories--that’s one the most powerful ways to earn trust and show you care.
𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲: love your fellow humans (and pets!). Be kind, care about others, don’t be afraid to express it. Don’t miss an opportunity to tell your loved ones that you love them (time is shorter than you think). At work, expressing gratitude is a simple way to show you care. Another is asking meaningful questions…and then remembering what they said. “How is it going with [something meaningful they shared about before]” is a powerful (and underutilized) way to show you are interested. Use the human API = assume positive intent. Research has shown that your happiness in life really does come down to this one thing. This connects with the idea of Lead with Empathy and even Customer Obsession (we love our customers, right?)
𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲: live a good life. Enjoy today, be adventurous, make new friends. Take time to savor the pleasant moments (this means slowing down at times). Aim for a mixture of happiness, meaningfulness, and psychological richness (though maybe not all at once). Don’t wait too long to do the things you really want to do because you’re not guaranteed the future. Carpe diem! Don’t settle. But also watch out for the myth of “I’ll be happy when…” This idea relates to having Bias for Action and Thinking Big (about life).
𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲: give to others whenever you can. Be a Giver rather than a Taker or Matcher (based on Adam Grant’s concepts in Give and Take). You’ll be happier and opportunities will open up for you. Call it good karma, you reap what you sow, what goes around comes around. This mindset has enabled me to build many surprising and meaningful relationships with leaders and luminaries all over the world. This aligns well with our LP of Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility--”make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large.”
I strive to live out these pillars every day–with varying degrees of success, of course. When I have a good day, I take time to savor the accomplishment. When I have a bad day (and there are plenty of them), I reflect on what I could have done better, determine to do better tomorrow, and try to have some self-compassion (I am, after all, a faulty human.)
I heard someone say once that “Success is when you’re excited to go to work and excited to go home.”
I am grateful that Amazon has given me a reason to be excited to go to work for the past 9 years...and my wife, kids, and dear friends have made me excited to go home every day.
It’s truly an EPIC work-life. Onward and upward!
Warm Regards,
Rich