Amazon Leadership Principle 6 - Insist on the Highest Standards

What Does This Principle Mean?

The leadership principle Insist on the Highest Standards is about holding high standards and keeping them high. It applies to anything from creating a website to writing a document. People at Amazon are always challenging themselves to do better. This principle is about everything from attention to detail and small things to hiring the best people.

The Role of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Insist on the Highest Standards means that you set exceptionally high standards for yourself and whatever products or processes you work to improve. Amazon has a set of standards called a service level agreement (SLA). It is a set of standards that is agreed upon for a service or product, and its standards are so high that even if the worst outcome on the SLA happens, the service or product will still surpass regular standards. Almost everything has one and is measured to see how well the standards are met.

Connection to Customer Obsession

The principle Insist on the Highest Standards is connected to the principle of Customer Obsession. Raising the standards and working to be better is part of improving the experience for customers. Amazon wants its customers to have a good experience with products. What makes the difference is the quality of the work that is sent out. Constantly raising the bar helps the work constantly get better.

Amazon’s Perspective on High Standards

The following quote demonstrates how Amazon thinks of the principle:

“Leaders have relentlessly high standards – many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high-quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed, so they stay fixed.”

Behaviors That Reflect This Principle

People who insist on the highest standards will challenge the status quo, work to make things like products and processes better even if they are already good enough, listen to feedback and coaching from others, encourage their team to continue delivering high quality, and teach employees to set high standards themselves. They will also teach them to amaze customers.

What Amazon Looks For in Interviews

In an interview, a candidate should prove that they can challenge the status quo and do something to make things better. They should demonstrate that they do not just become self-satisfied when they can still do something to improve.

Sample Interview Questions

Examples of interview questions for the principle Insist on the Highest Standards:

When were you unsatisfied with the status quo?
Describe a time that you raised the bar and increased the quality of your work.
What was one goal you had that you wish you had performed better on? How could you have made it better?
Give an example of a time when you felt that something could achieve a greater outcome despite others thinking it was already good enough.
Tell me about a time when you decided to work to improve something already good enough that was getting good feedback. For what reason did you think you still needed to improve it?
Describe a time when you did not agree to lower your standards for a product or service. Why did you refuse and what was the result?

How to Frame Your Answers

When you answer questions about the principle Insist on the Highest Standards, you should show that you can set a service level agreement (SLA) for everything, criticize your work constantly to ensure it has the best possible quality, encourage others to give you feedback and coaching to improve your work and then use that feedback, raise the bar for your team, and teach others to set high standards too.

Demonstrating High Standards in Practice

You should talk about times you could have followed along with something but chose to raise the standard instead and delivered results. You should show that you are not happy with “good enough” and seek to improve and set higher standards for yourself or your team. Leaders do not need other people to set high standards because they raise the bar themselves.