Q&A with Brett Morris - Program Manager, Amazon Supply Chain Optimization Technology (SCOT)

Brett Morris joined Amazon as a Program Manager in April 2024 and is already managing programs for the SCOT team. In this interview, Brett discusses his experience at Amazon so far, highlighting his favorite memory, the leadership principles he values most, and his perspective on work-life balance.

Tell us about your journey at Amazon.

I joined Amazon after an 11 year career in the US Coast Guard. During my time in the military, I was stationed on multiple ships around the world (Guam, Bahrain, and Seattle), worked in a Search and Rescue Command Center in Seattle, and also functioned as an Operational Planner for the Coast Guard’s missions in Oceania. I enjoyed my time in the Coast Guard, but after 11 years, I was ready for a new challenge. After taking a 6 month sabbatical to travel the world and recharge, I joined Amazon as a Program Manager back in April of this year and have been learning so much ever since!

What is your favorite Amazon memory?

My favorite memory so far is my favorite because it goes to show how such small actions and signs of support can really mean a lot to a community of people. If you’ve ever walked by an Amazon office, you may have seen a “banana stand”, where they offer free bananas to Amazon workers as well as the public. Throughout Pride Month this year in June, the banana stand outside my building was also giving away free Pride stickers. As a queer person, it felt very comforting to see the company’s push to bring visibility, even through such a small act, to LGBTQIA+ people. I think it speaks volumes to the culture here and how Amazon fosters a climate of acceptance and diversity.

What is your favorite leadership principle and why?

My favorite leadership principle is “Learn and Be Curious”. As someone relatively new to Amazon, it’s been imperative to my learning journey to ask questions about unfamiliar processes and mechanisms in order to understand how they fit in to the company’s mission, objectives, and my role. The leaders I have looked up to the most in the past and in my current role never stop learning and asking questions. They understand it’s important to seek differing perspectives and to expand their knowledge. In a company like Amazon, where there is so much going on and things happen quickly, having that curiosity to constantly learn and be curious about unfamiliar topics is a requirement to assist in faster learning. I also love this leadership principle because it helps strike the right balance between humility and confidence - a tough skill to master. By embracing "Learn and Be Curious," you give yourself the freedom to acknowledge what you don't know and eagerly seek out new knowledge.

What brings you passion/excitement to your role and team?

After being at Amazon even for this short amount of time, I’ve been constantly amazed and in awe of the talent and caliber of people that I’m surrounded by. I’m a big cyclist, and I bike to work most days with other friends that work at Amazon who are much faster than me, but push me to be better. That’s exactly how I feel about the people I work with. It is exciting and motivating to work with such intelligent and driven individuals, and it motivates me to be better every day as well.

What do you do for fun/ worklife balance?

Anything outside, and that’s why I love living in Seattle! I tell people that aren’t familiar with Seattle that it’s the best city in America to live. Nowhere else in America can you be at the downtown waterfront watching dolphins swim and an hour later be in a mountain pass with snow covered peaks overhead. My partner and I love getting out to the mountains, and we just recently finished up a backpacking trip with friends to Hidden Lake Lookout, a historic fire lookout tower in the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington.

Best place you have ever traveled?

During my sabbatical, I traveled to the Azores, an island chain in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I first saw these islands when I sailed past as a Coast Guard Academy Cadet aboard US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the Coast Guard’s three-masted barque training ship. Ever since then, I have wanted to go back to the Azores. My favorite memory was on Pico Island, where I hiked around the highlands through cow pastures and corn fields with Mount Pico in the distance (the tallest peak in Portugal). I had the trail all to myself and the views were spectacular, it was really magical!

Interested in joining Amazon as a Program Manager? Click here to learn more.