The One Amazon Leadership Principle that Changed my View on Company Culture

If there's one company known for its leadership principles, it's Amazon.

*Views expressed in this article are mine alone and do not represent Amazon in any way.

I'm willing to bet that each time I see a "bias for action" as a qualifying line item in a job description, it came from Amazon. I can attest to the fact that the company's leadership principles differentiate it from any other company I've ever worked for. Take it from me, the one who's had 13 internships in the past 4 years.

Though I believe demonstrating each of the 14 leadership principles is necessary to achieve success in any role - with Amazon or not, there was one principle that stood out from the rest and taught me an important lesson early in my career.

Have backbone; disagree and commit

-Amazon Leadership Principle #13

As a business student at the time of my internship with Amazon, I was used to being taught how to thrive within a system, not speak out against it. This is a common experience for many interns, in the sense where just because they earned a (note-taking) seat at the table, it doesn't always mean that teams are interested in hearing their dissenting opinions (assuming they had them). From the company's famed "Day One" atmosphere, this experience could not be more different. At Amazon, if you've got something to say, you're expected to say it, and then if necessary, abandon your prized idea to go with someone else's.

This principle taught me the value of creating and working in authentic, collaborative, and ego-free working environments, where feedback is not only given but appreciated, and new ideas regarding old ways of doing things are passionately discussed and acted upon. This expectation of me as a leader, given that I was responsible for managing a team to meet daily performance goals, opened my eyes to a different type of leadership and working culture than I was accustomed to before.

Being born and raised in the traditional American Midwest, in addition to having been a dedicated tennis player and devoted student, were all formative experiences for me that put me under the impression to always "do what I was told." That speaking up to suggest new ideas or present new methods of doing things was not accepted nor appreciated. My experience at Amazon taught me that dissenting respectfully and appropriately when necessary is a healthy and essential part of moving an organization forward. Where do you think Amazon would be today if Jeff Bezos dismissed every new and challenging idea that was presented to him?

My experience at Amazon empowered me as a leader and team member in the sense that I now realize and advocate for the value companies can witness by soliciting, evaluating, and implementing diverse and disruptive ideas, no matter the seniority status of the person they come from. In my view, companies should not only see "going against the status quo" as a way to attract top talent, but also as a strategy to empower current employees to go above and beyond in combining their individual experiences and perspectives to come up with new ways of doing their work. The companies who are committed to relentlessly challenging their value-add to customers, existing employees, and society will be the most successful ones moving forward - and this process all starts with normalizing respectful, dissenting, and pride-free conversations.

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About the author: Kaidlyne Neukam is a recent business graduate from American University in Washington, DC who has relocated to Berlin, Germany for personal and professional opportunities. Connect with her on LinkedIn to see where she goes next as she continues her full-time job search.