I spent 15 years at Amazon, including countless hours in meetings with some of the most talented executives on the planet, like Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, Jeff Wilke, Steve Kessel, and more. Here are 10 behaviors that great execs display in meetings.
1. They study, read, and absorb the material presented in the meeting with intense concentration. For example, Jeff Bezos once said that his method for reading documents is to read every sentence and pause to evaluate whether it is true.
2. They dive deep into the data. I’ve watched executives like Jeff Wilke study data tables line by line, ask probing questions about specific metric variances, and make insightful observations about what the data reveals.
3. They scrutinize not just the data presented but also the metrics themselves, and question whether the metrics the team uses as proxies for the speed, quality, and cost of their business unit, operation, or customer experience are the right ones.
4. They apply tests to the information they’re reviewing, such as the underlying assumptions the team is making and what must be true about those assumptions for the proposal to succeed.
5. They improve form and function. Most Amazon meetings are conducted by reading a narrative document. The best leaders also give feedback on the document itself. They ask how this document could have been organized, written, and presented more effectively next time, so the team and organization can continuously improve not only their operations but also their clarity of thought.
6. They teach and develop the team in every meeting. For example, when Jeff Bezos reached a decision, he wouldn’t just communicate it; he would also explain the thought process he went through, including the assumptions, key factors he considered, and the first principles he applied. He was teaching everyone in the room to become better thinkers, leaders, and decision-makers.
7. They ask probing questions that help their teams think more deeply about the problem or topic, rather than advocating a preferred solution.
8. They create an environment where it is safe to challenge assumptions (including their own) and to examine issues without taking a stance.
9. They provide clear feedback and direction during the meeting or in the meeting recap – a shared understanding of what happens next, such as what decisions we have made and what the next steps are.
10. Their comments are about the work, not the team. E.g., this idea, work, or result is poor/great, not this team or person is poor/great. Great teams can sometimes produce subpar work that doesn’t meet their high standards, but that doesn’t mean the team is subpar (and vice versa).
Most executives spend most of their time in meetings. Meetings are the medium through which they manage. These ten behaviors in meetings are SOME of the things that separate a great executive from an average or subpar executive.
Readers, what would you add to this list?
