Each year, the Amazon S-team (Amazon’s senior leadership group) establishes a list of hundreds of S-team goals. Hundreds! In 2010, there were 452 S-team goals. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are now thousands. These goals were derived from metrics and initiatives proposed by each team during the annual operating plan (OP1) cycle.
These were not the only goals, but they were the ones that Jeff and his Execs believed were most important. They would monitor these goals regularly in lengthy, detailed reviews so they could intervene when needed to help resolve problems and blockers.
When I describe the depth and degree to which Jeff and Amazon Execs were involved in making sure we hit our goals, people are astonished.
A good S-team goal had a few key attributes:
1. Each S-team goal was SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). There was a single name or owner for each goal — If multiple people were responsible, no one was.
2. Importantly, not everything in the company made it onto the S-team goal list. Every team had many goals that didn’t make the list. The S-team goals were not meant to capture everything we were doing.
This structure created clarity across the org. When a team saw a goal make the S-team list, it sent a signal that it was a top priority. This helped everyone prioritize and allocate resources.
We didn’t always get it right, but the practice of setting, inspecting, and resourcing S-team goals was one of the most effective elements of the Amazon operating cadence.
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