Bummer Dude... sad to hear that Amazon took such a turn, but it definitely looks like personal growth is still something you can take from the experience.
I was sharing with a friend your comments on when people quit complaining, that as a leader you then have a real problem. Since they've given up trying to improve the situation. I'm sure you recall...
Thanks for being brave and courageous to post your experience and thoughts. Many people don’t understand the courage behind speaking truth to power, especially at Amazon, but you and I do.
You know where I stand and my Amazon experience. Great people, energetic and inspiring junior leaders learning and growing how to lead and manage people. However, at the GM and Regional level, the level of ‘save your ass’ at whatever cost and sell out those under you to meet numbers at any cost is tragic. The definition of toxicity to me is changing your values when you succeed, lead by tyranny, so you can keep getting promoted . I came out not convinced the core values were really true….smoke and mirrors . Shame. And I was not the only one….
What I have learned from leaving and working a different sector is that you can get back to your passions and you can get back to your values of serving something bigger than you that values you as a human and a talent. And your health will thank you! :)
Keep moving the needle my friend! Understand and appreciate the people you impacted in the right way…they will remember you (and continue to have you mentor them) well beyond Amazon! I am loving proof. All the best TC
I wish I could be surprised, TC, but I’m not. In 2011, just before retiring from active duty, I applied for a „military recruiter“ position at Amazon HQ in Luxembourg. They wanted to repeat/build on their successes recruiting veterans in the US by recruiting veterans in Germany and France. As I moved through their recruiting process, I had 5 different interviews, gradually moving up the chain, eventually talking to a certain Craig (I think he was head of HR in Europe at the time, or something similar), things were looking really good…or so I thought. Aside from my suitability for the position (or lack thereof), aside from the viability of their military recruiting concept (or lack thereof, given the fundamentally different internal structures and cultures of European militaries compared to the US), what struck me was this: after the fifth interview, which had gone well (or so I thought), I got crickets. No „thanks but no thanks after all“ phone call or email, no rejection letter, nothing. I tried reaching out several times, no answer on any channel. Aside from my disappointment and anger at their unprofessional behavior at the time, I clearly dodged a bullet, as your writings on the company since your departure have clearly demonstrated. When I saw you taking a senior position with them some years back, I was genuinely curious to see how you’d fare, and hopeful that my experience had simply been a one-time snafu, driven by personalities and/or situational specifics (they were building a staff from scratch, building the aircraft while simultaneously flying it, with all the chaos that implies). Turns out they simply don’t give a shit about people… they were lucky to have you for a few years, TC, but again, what you describe does not surprise me. Good for you that you found the door on time.
Really enjoying reading some of these AMZN analyses as they simply illustrate so much of what I saw and felt in almost 8 years with the company. To hear it from someone who was at the coalface at such a level simply confirms many of the suspicions, gripes and issues I had with the company during my tenure.
Granted I never wanted to scale the ladder whatsoever, It wasn't my vibe and they simply weren't my kind of people in the main but I paid close attention to what went on around me and the characters involved. I knew I was right in my criticisms of the company but it's good to have those gripes vindicated from someone at the top of that ladder.
Well written and accurate TC, I didn't fly as close to the sun as you did but your writing gives me insight into some of the decisions that affected my career.
Hey TC,
Nice to see your thoughts again.
Bummer Dude... sad to hear that Amazon took such a turn, but it definitely looks like personal growth is still something you can take from the experience.
I was sharing with a friend your comments on when people quit complaining, that as a leader you then have a real problem. Since they've given up trying to improve the situation. I'm sure you recall...
Best of luck
Adam Pearsoll
TC,
Thanks for being brave and courageous to post your experience and thoughts. Many people don’t understand the courage behind speaking truth to power, especially at Amazon, but you and I do.
You know where I stand and my Amazon experience. Great people, energetic and inspiring junior leaders learning and growing how to lead and manage people. However, at the GM and Regional level, the level of ‘save your ass’ at whatever cost and sell out those under you to meet numbers at any cost is tragic. The definition of toxicity to me is changing your values when you succeed, lead by tyranny, so you can keep getting promoted . I came out not convinced the core values were really true….smoke and mirrors . Shame. And I was not the only one….
What I have learned from leaving and working a different sector is that you can get back to your passions and you can get back to your values of serving something bigger than you that values you as a human and a talent. And your health will thank you! :)
Keep moving the needle my friend! Understand and appreciate the people you impacted in the right way…they will remember you (and continue to have you mentor them) well beyond Amazon! I am loving proof. All the best TC
I wish I could be surprised, TC, but I’m not. In 2011, just before retiring from active duty, I applied for a „military recruiter“ position at Amazon HQ in Luxembourg. They wanted to repeat/build on their successes recruiting veterans in the US by recruiting veterans in Germany and France. As I moved through their recruiting process, I had 5 different interviews, gradually moving up the chain, eventually talking to a certain Craig (I think he was head of HR in Europe at the time, or something similar), things were looking really good…or so I thought. Aside from my suitability for the position (or lack thereof), aside from the viability of their military recruiting concept (or lack thereof, given the fundamentally different internal structures and cultures of European militaries compared to the US), what struck me was this: after the fifth interview, which had gone well (or so I thought), I got crickets. No „thanks but no thanks after all“ phone call or email, no rejection letter, nothing. I tried reaching out several times, no answer on any channel. Aside from my disappointment and anger at their unprofessional behavior at the time, I clearly dodged a bullet, as your writings on the company since your departure have clearly demonstrated. When I saw you taking a senior position with them some years back, I was genuinely curious to see how you’d fare, and hopeful that my experience had simply been a one-time snafu, driven by personalities and/or situational specifics (they were building a staff from scratch, building the aircraft while simultaneously flying it, with all the chaos that implies). Turns out they simply don’t give a shit about people… they were lucky to have you for a few years, TC, but again, what you describe does not surprise me. Good for you that you found the door on time.
Really enjoying reading some of these AMZN analyses as they simply illustrate so much of what I saw and felt in almost 8 years with the company. To hear it from someone who was at the coalface at such a level simply confirms many of the suspicions, gripes and issues I had with the company during my tenure.
Granted I never wanted to scale the ladder whatsoever, It wasn't my vibe and they simply weren't my kind of people in the main but I paid close attention to what went on around me and the characters involved. I knew I was right in my criticisms of the company but it's good to have those gripes vindicated from someone at the top of that ladder.
Very well written and I'd say honestly too.
Well written and accurate TC, I didn't fly as close to the sun as you did but your writing gives me insight into some of the decisions that affected my career.