Amazon Leadership Principle

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.

1 In the presentation:
In the amazon store, if we can know the expression of our customer when they are buying some products, then we can have a better understanding the relationship between our customer and this product. For example, based the happiness degree of their expression, we can the customer like it very much, or just normally like it, or just need it. 

2 My own example: In my research, I also have many customers: my advisor, my colleagues (labmates), and the people who read my paper. To my advisor, I should satisfy my advisor, when my idea is conflicted with my advisor, or we have the different opinion for some problems. Of course, we will communicate and each other. I will respect her idea and follow her instructions. At the same time, I will also implement my own idea, and show her those two results, them we make the decision together. To my colleagues, because I am the senior P.h.D student in my lab, I voluntarily take the responsibility to take care of them. I will keep the connection with their research. If I have time, I will walk to them, and ask do they have any problems, and find the solution with them together. If we were stuck in some problem, I will find help to all the labmates. I like the brain storm. Call all people to one classroom, and everyone speaks something, don't need to worry the correctness of your solution. It's a very relax and the innovative environment. After the brainstorm, we always can find some solutions. To the people who read my paper, I will try to think in their shoes and explain everything cleary. 

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". 

My advisors' lab is my lab. My advisor's team is my team. 

To my labmates, because I am the senior P.h.D student in my lab, I voluntarily take the responsibility to take care of them. I will keep the connection with their research. If I have time, I will walk to them, and ask do they have any problems, and find the solution with them together. If we were stuck in some problem, I will find help to all the labmates. I like the brainstorm. Call all people to one classroom, and everyone speaks something, don't need to worry the correctness of your solution. It's a very relax and the innovative environment. After the brainstorm, we always can find some solutions.

Just in the last semester, I am very happy that I helped two labmates find their research problems. They are all the two and three year's P.h.D students. For one labmate, our advisor gave him a research direction, but he doesn't know how to define the problem and how to design the algorithm. After I know his difficulty, I asked all our labmates and find a classroom. We use the brainstorm. Based on his problem, everyone can speak anything and don't worry about the correctness. In this relax and innovative atmosphere, we helped him find some solutions. Now he is still working on this problem, and the progress is promising. For the other labmate, I have an idea that is the extension of my current work, but I don't have time to do it because I will graduate soon. Then I gave the idea to him. Now we will keep talking with each other each week. 

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.

the simplest is most likely to be the best:
When I worked on my recent paper to optimizing the filter size, our first version model has many control parameters and threshold to adjust. Although the performance is already better than the baseline method, I still feel not comfortable, Becuase I believe that the simplest is most likely to be the best. There are many parameters and need longer training time, it's hard for other people to reproduce our work. Then I insist on simplifying the proposed model. The result is that we reduce the two convolutional operations to one convolutional operation in each iteration, which can reduce the training time and testing time. 

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.

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.

Hobby: In my spare time, I will go to the gym and do some exercise. I like to learn some new skills. last winter, I learned how to snow skiing. Recently, I and the other friend together we took part in a water diving training class. I hope I can do an ocean diving in the future and see the beautiful sea world under water. I also spend some time learning and improving my oral English. 

In my research. I will try to explore the new techniques in my research area. When your amazon store is published last may, I am excited about it. I will take with my friend and tell them the good news. It seems it's my store, because what l learned and my so many year's training is very useful and can do some ownsome work. I also believe that all amazon go team members were very excited especially four years ago, when they first took part in this team. 

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.

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 driving 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.

The simplest is most likely to be the best:

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.

Bias for Action

Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking. 

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.

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.

Dive Deep

Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

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.
One case to show the leadership:

When the deep learning and convolutional neural netork are very populer last year. I advocate our labmates to have a deep learning study group. In the beginning, I was very struggling to organize this study group. How to motivate the people to participate in this group? How to encourage the people to make the presentation? How to organize the schedule or process or the meeting? After my thorough consideration, I send a long email to everyone and encourage everyone using a short story happened in our lab. I surprisingly find that all my labmates replied me and want to take part in this group. Our study group last two semesters, and almost everyone gave two or three presentations. I learned a lot from this study group. 

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.

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