Core Theory

• 1The 16 Leadership Principles: (1) Customer Obsession — leaders start with the customer and work backwards. (2) Ownership — think long-term, act like an owner, never say 'that's not my job'. (3) Invent and Simplify — innovate and find ways to simplify. (4) Are Right, A Lot — strong judgment, seek diverse perspectives. (5) Learn and Be Curious — never stop learning. (6) Hire and Develop the Best — raise the bar with every hire. (7) Insist on the Highest Standards — never settle. (8) Think Big — bold direction. (9) Bias for Action — speed matters, calculated risks are good. (10) Frugality — accomplish more with less. (11) Earn Trust — candor, humility, transparency. (12) Dive Deep — stay connected to details. (13) Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit — challenge decisions respectfully, then commit fully. (14) Deliver Results — focus on the key inputs, deliver with the right quality. (15) Strive to be Earth's Best Employer. (16) Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility.
• 2Bar Raiser role: a trained Amazonian (not on the hiring team) who ensures candidates meet the company-wide LP bar, not just the team's immediate need. They vote independently and can override the hiring team. They will probe 3 levels deep into your stories: 'What did YOU specifically do? Why did you choose that approach? What would you do differently?' Prepare for this depth.
• 3STAR format at Amazon: Situation (1-2 sentences — set minimal context), Task (your specific role and what was at stake), Action (most important — concrete, first-person, detailed, explain your reasoning), Result (quantified impact + long-term effects). Amazon interviewers specifically note if you use 'we' too much — they want to know what YOU did.
• 4Dive Deep probing pattern: interviewers will ask follow-up questions to verify you actually did what you claim. 'Tell me more about how you identified that root cause.' 'What was the exact data that showed you this?' 'How did you specifically convince your manager?' Prepare to answer 3 layers deep on any story.
• 5Story selection strategy: each story should cover 2-3 LPs. Prioritize: Customer Obsession (always asked), Ownership (often asked twice), Dive Deep (technical roles), Deliver Results (always), Earn Trust (especially for senior roles). Have 6 distinct stories to avoid repeating the same one when the same LP comes up in multiple rounds.
• 6Customer Obsession at Amazon: this is THE most important LP. Every decision traces back to the customer. Even internal tools must be thought of as serving customers. Story ingredients: customer pain point discovered, action taken to understand the customer's perspective deeply (wrote a press release, used the product yourself, interviewed customers), solution implemented, customer metric improved.
• 7Disagree and Commit: shows backbone without being combative. Structure: disagreement should be based on data or principles, not preference. You raised it professionally with evidence. The decision went against you. You committed fully and worked to make it successful. You may or may not have been vindicated — either outcome can be a good story.
• 8Avoid anti-patterns: (1) 'I can't think of a failure' — every strong candidate has a genuine failure. (2) 'We decided to...' instead of 'I decided to...' (3) Stories without measurable results. (4) Blaming others for the failure. (5) Stories where you were the hero who was right and everyone else was wrong — Amazon values humility and collaboration.