Why ‘Learn and Be Curious’ Matters at Amazon
The leadership principles ‘Learn and Be Curious’ is about being the type of person who always tries to learn and improve. It is about being open to learning things and trying to use new methods to do work. You should always try to learn more and understand things you encounter that are not simple at first glance.
The Value of Curiosity
This principle is also about having a thirst for knowledge. Knowledge that you may obtain just because you were curious may end up giving you a solution to a problem or a way to improve something in the future.
Applicable Across All Roles
The ‘Learn and Be Curious’ principle is not for a specific field and can be applied to any job. The reason for the research should always be to improve on something or explore an opportunity that could help the company.
Tied to Customer Obsession
This principle is tied to customer obsession because it promotes curiosity to learn and understand what the customers want or need and how that is changing over time. This helps Amazon to see the chances to offer new services or products to its customers. The ‘Learn and Be Curious’ principle keeps Amazon growing and maintains a focus on customers.
Amazon’s Take on the Principle
The following quote shows how Amazon thinks about the principle of ‘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.”
How Curious People Think and Work
People who learn and are curious will ask about things that they don’t know about, do research when they think there is a good business opportunity, always try to learn, always try to improve, and be open to learning something new and unfamiliar.
What Amazon Looks For In Interviews
In an interview, Amazon wants to know how you create new ideas and innovations. They also want to know how you stay up to date with trends and how you merge different areas of work to create something that helps the company. Being curious leads to being more creative, which leads to new ideas and innovation.
Sample Interview Questions
Examples of possible interview questions for the leadership principles ‘Learn and Be Curious’:
- Describe a time you worked outside your comfort zone.
- How do you keep yourself inspired, get new knowledge, or create/innovate in your job?
- How do you keep up with trends and the things that your competitors do?
- What is the most interesting thing you have learned by yourself that has helped you do your job better?
- Tell me about a time when a peer taught you something new.
- Describe a time you solved a problem by using your better knowledge or observations.
- When have you had influence on a change through just asking questions?
- Describe a time you realized that you needed more knowledge to do your work to the standards expected.
- When have you encountered a problem you got stuck on and did not know what to do to solve it?
- (For a manager) Describe a time when you ended up hiring a person who was smarter than you.
- (For a manager) Tell me about a time when a person on your team pushed you to think in a new perspective about an issue.
- (For a manager) Give me an example of a time you challenged your team to outperform standards/expectations.
Related: Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles
How to Answer These Questions
When you answer questions about the leadership principles ‘Learn and Be Curious’ in an interview, for most questions, you can just list all the things that you do/did. You should show that you often try to learn things related to the work you do for your job, because Amazon wants you to show that you can do your job. You should be honest about the ways you keep up with new trends and technology related to your work (blogs, newspapers, books, podcasts, videos, classes, lectures, etc.). Show interest and passion, and do not tell your interviewer you do not have time for these things because they will think of you as a bad candidate. If you really want the job, you should be ready to spend your free time doing classes, attending conferences, or reading, even if you are busy.