Guest: Ethan Evans - Former Vice President at Amazon, executive coach, and course creator. Ethan spent 15 years at Amazon, where he helped invent and run Prime Video, the Amazon Appstore, Prime Gaming, and Twitch Commerce. He holds over 70 patents and helped draft one of Amazon's 14 core leadership principles. Key Takeaways: The Magic Loop: A five-step process to advance your career: 1) Do your current job well, 2) Ask your boss how you can help, 3) Do what they ask, 4) Align your goals with your manager's needs, 5) Repeat. This approach fosters a partnership with your manager and helps you stand out. Invention and Innovation: Dedicate focused time to think creatively. Invention often involves combining existing ideas and doesn't require constant brainstorming—just a couple of hours a month. Handling Failure: When facing a significant failure, own the mistake, communicate proactively, and work hard to resolve the issue. Personal interactions can help rebuild trust. Interviewing Tips: Show enthusiasm and professionalism. Focus on the impact of your past work, not just the tasks you completed. Leadership Principles: Embrace ownership and bias for action. Ownership means never saying, "That's not my job," and bias for action emphasizes the importance of speed in decision-making. Topics Covered: Career advancement, The Magic Loop, invention and innovation, handling failure, interview tips, Amazon leadership principles, contrarian views on remote work and business ethics.
“You don't need very many good ideas to be seen as tremendously inventive.”
“Managers help those who help them.”
“No one can be a better version of you.”
