Falconnotes Internal Team Weekly Note 4/44/22
I mentioned a few weeks ago that the end of Q1 means earnings reports. But I forgot to mention another Q1 staple: The annual letter to shareholders.
Any company that IĀ invest in, I always take the time to read these letters. I am a bit biased, but I must say that Amazon has some of the best letters year in and year out. This was Andy Jassy's (Jeff Bezos' successor) first letter since stepping into the CEO position. You can read itĀ here.
What I like about these letters is that you get insight into how the person calling the shots actually thinks. You see their perspective on the challenges the company faces and how they're dealing with them. Oftentimes we like to think that we'd be great CEOs or leaders of certain organizations, but we do little to prepare ourselvesĀ for the moment.
One of the leadership principles we have at Amazon is called Think Big. Here's the company summary:Ā 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.
IĀ used to think that everyone can just think big. It's not really a skill. However, this past year has taught me that really the only thing that separates the people that are at the top of the org chart calling the shots vs the people at the bottom is their ability to think big, to look around corners, to challenge assumptions and really hold a high bar for thinking.
Thinking big is a powerful skill. And it is not one that we are taught to develop at all. Few of us are fortunate enough to have mentors or teachers that open up the horizons of our minds and force us to think big.
I know I've made this point before but I think it'sĀ worth repeating. The value that each of you provide to this org is not the thing you do. You are not on the team to simply be a designer or an operations manager. You are on the team because of your ability to think through things end to end and then not rest until those things are brought to life.Ā I wish there was a better job title for this - I would give all of you that title.
What we have to remind ourselves over and over again is that in this journey of building a business, it is not a product or service that will be the magic bullet that makes millions rain from the sky. Rather it is who we become as individuals. As we face new challenges, step outside our comfort zone, and grow into more skilled and capable leaders, success will comeĀ as a by-product.
Coming back to the letter to shareholders. It doesn't have to be this letter to shareholders if you don't like amazon, but I encourage you all to read and learn about your space as much as possible. Reading business books without actually doing anything doesn't really serve any purpose. What is far more effective is "just in time" learning. Where you are actually getting practical reps in and then you supplement that with some theory, some books, some podcasts, that can change the way you operate and give you an edge.
The way I see it, I am the bottleneck for the growth of this organization. If I can identify my gaps as a leader - whether that be sales, marketing, operations, communication, etc. - then I can learn what I need to do and plug in those gaps to get the machine running.
My challenge to all of you is to really invest in yourself and push yourself to be better this week than you were last week. Not just as an individual human being (which you definitely should be focused on as well), but as an owner of your business unit. What progress did you make this week? What change did you make to improve the business? What are you learning and how are you growing as a result of being on this team?