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Bill Carr

1 episode

Episodes

Unpacking Amazon’s unique ways of working | Bill Carr (author of Working Backwards)

Nov 2, 20231h 33m

Guest: Bill Carr - Co-author of "Working Backwards" and former VP of Digital Media at Amazon. Bill spent 15 years at Amazon, launching and managing Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Amazon Studios, and now runs a consulting firm helping companies implement Amazon's practices. Key Takeaways: Working Backwards: Start with the customer's needs and work backward to develop solutions, focusing on lasting customer problems without constraints. Single-Threaded Leadership: Assign a single leader with dedicated resources to own a project, enhancing ownership, speed, and agility. Disagree and Commit: Encourage team members to voice disagreements, but once a decision is made, commit fully to its success. Input vs. Output Metrics: Focus on improving input metrics that drive the desired output metrics (e.g., revenue), ensuring long-term success. Bar Raiser Program: Implement a hiring process where a neutral party ensures candidates meet high standards and fit the company culture. Topics Covered: Working backwards, single-threaded leadership, disagree and commit, input and output metrics, Bar Raiser program, Amazon's unique processes, product innovation, decision-making, hiring practices.

Notable Quotes

β€œIf we served customers well, if we prioritized customers and delivered for them, things like sales, things like revenue and active customers and things like the share price and free cash flow would follow.”

Customer focus

β€œTo really go fast, you actually need to go slow first and to be very clear on what you're doing and where you want to go.”

Process and clarity

β€œAmazon was actually, to some degree, equally focused on process innovation.”

Innovation at Amazon