In the high‑growth arena, culture is either the silent accelerator or the hidden roadblock. Scaling adds complexity, erodes clarity, and slowly drains the scrappy, agile energy that powered your early wins.
As a business coach specialising in high‑growth transformations, I see Amazon under Andy Jassy as a bold case study—showing how even tech giants can stall under their own weight, and how decisive cultural resets can restore urgency, discipline, and performance. Not every tactic will be your play—but the underlying principles offer fuel for your high‑growth engine.
1. Declare War on Bureaucracy
Amazon grew—and as it did, red tape crept in. Jassy didn’t just notice it—he launched a “bureaucracy mailbox,” inviting employees to flag unnecessary procedures. This initiative triggered hundreds of changes.
High Growth Insight: Encourage your people to challenge processes that slow them down. Remove unnecessary layers. Simplify with intention, not control.
2. Make Culture Your Strategic Priority
From his first moments as CEO, Jassy prioritised restoring Amazon’s “Day 1” startup spirit—the hustle, the values, the clarity.
High Growth Insight: Culture doesn’t evolve by accident. Refresh your values regularly. Make them operational—not decorative. Let culture guide strategy, not follow it.
3. Reshape Leadership with Bold Clarity
Jassy tied promotions and pay to performance and adherence to Amazon’s Leadership Principles—and didn’t hesitate to part ways with those who couldn’t meet the bar.
High Growth Insight: In high‑growth environments, leadership matters more than ever. Promote based on impact, not seniority. Celebrate the drivers of outcomes, not the managers of meetings.
4. Obsess Over Efficiency as Much as Growth
Frugality became a core value under Jassy. Every initiative had to prove its return on investment. He asked leaders: “What would I do if this was my money?”
High Growth Insight: Discipline cultivates resilience. Teach your team ownership—invest to innovate, but never waste. Efficiency and innovation can ride tandem.
5. Make Your Core Principles Operational
Instead of wall art, Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles became action items—in performance reviews, internal video campaigns, and hiring decisions.
High Growth Insight: Embed values into every moment: onboarding, decision‑making, recognition. Ritualize them until they resonate.
6. Prioritise Energy Over Hours
Amazon reset its expectations: more in‑office presence to revive collaboration, inspiration, and spontaneous problem‑solving.
High Growth Insight: Real performance is about energy, not just effort. Encourage rest, focus, meaningful work rhythms—because sustainable growth requires clarity and connection, not clock watching.
7. Get Comfortable with Tough Choices
Jassy shelved projects like Grand Challenge labs and trimmed initiatives such as Alexa, channeling resources to high‑margin areas like AWS and advertising.
High Growth Insight: Saying “no” is often the most courageous act you can take. Let clarity rule—fewer bets, better bets.
8. Couple Discipline with Humanity
Despite the rigorous reset, Jassy remained personable—connecting with employees and showing care. It’s a rare duality: high standards, high empathy.
High Growth Insight: As teams grow, culture must keep its heart. Lead with tough love—but also psychological safety, frequent feedback, and authentic care.
Your Culture: Multiplied or Undermined?
Culture isn’t a slide deck—it’s the invisible force shaping how your team thinks, feels, and acts. Amazon’s transformation under Jassy may be ruthless, but it’s a living example that culture can—and should—be actively steered through high growth.