Amazon Question Set-Blank - Detailed
Amazon Question Set-Blank - Detailed
Amazon Question Set-Blank - Detailed
DELIVER RESULTS
Definition and Indicators Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a
timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
What this looks like in Practice
As a people manager do you… As an individual contributor do you… ?
• Continually reinforce to yourself and the team who the customer is in order to execute
and deliver the right results?
• Set and communicate smart team goals, expectations and priorities
• help employees stay focused, yet nimble and adaptable to moving targets or when
projects aren’t progressing in order to get things done?
• Help others remove barriers/roadblocks towards meeting team goals?
• Recognize and celebrate successes, while keeping the team focused on delivering the
right results?
• Focus on the most important tasks, while adapting as needed to achieve results? ·
• Persevere through setbacks and overcome obstacles to deliver outstanding results?
1 Tell me about a time you (and your team if
Manager) were driving toward a goal and were
more than half way to the objective when you
realized it may not be the best or right goal or may
have unintended consequences. What was the
situation and what did you do?
DIVE DEEP
Definition and Indicators Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details and audit frequently. No task is
beneath them.
OWNERSHIP
Definition and Indicators Ownership:
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term
results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say
“that’s not my job”.
What this looks like in Practice
As a people manager do you… As an individual contributor do you…
• Create a vision for your team that aligns with the customer experience?
• Foster an environment of autonomy where an employee prioritize and make decisions?
• Think about the impact of your decisions on other teams, sites and the customer over
time?
• Coach and mentor your team to understand the big picture, how their role supports the
overall objectives of Amazon, and how it ties to others?
• Ask questions?
• Consider future outcomes (scalable, long-term value, etc.)?
• Give feedback – coach and develop others (peers, associates, manager)?
• Speak up in meetings – question, challenge respectfully?
• Understand your role and relationship with other roles?
• Understand the impact of your work on others?
• Partner with peers across the network?
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive
study. We value calculated risk taking.
• Makes sound, timely decisions and remove barriers for direct reports?
• Quickly identify how work should be done and communicated to team?
• Make timely, sound decisions for the business even when all info you want to have isn’t
available?
• Empower your employees or become a bottleneck?
• Remove barriers to help your team act on new ideas immediately?
• Quickly identify if you need more info before taking action request that info and move
forward?
• Be ready, willing and able to roll up sleeves and assist with customer facing tasks when
needed?
• Ask for help when needed in a timely manner? · Respond promptly to requests for
information?
• Follow up and deliver as promised?
• Make sure you create an “action item list” (identify owner and target dates)?
Describe a time when you significantly contributed to improving morale and productivity on
your team. What were the underlying problems and their causes? How did you prevent them
from negatively impacting the team in the future?
Give an example of a time where you were not able to meet a commitment to a team member.
What was the commitment and what prevented you from meeting it? What was the outcome and
what did you learn from it?
Building trust can be difficult to achieve at times. Tell me about how you have effectively built
trusting working relationships with others on your team.
Describe a time when you needed the cooperation of a peer or peers who were resistant to what
you were trying to do. What did you do? What was the outcome?
Tell me about a piece of direct feedback you recently gave to a colleague. How did he or she
respond?
How do you like to receive feedback from coworkers or managers?
Tell me about a time you had to communicate a big change in direction for which you
anticipated people would have a lot of concerns. How did you handle questions and/or
resistance? Were you able to get people comfortable with the change?
FRUGALITY
Definition and Indicators Frugality:
We try not to spend money on things that don’t matter to customers. Frugality breeds
resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for headcount, budget
size or fixed expense.
What this looks like in Practice As a people manager do you… As an individual contributor do
you… · Ask,
“Does this spend make a positive impact for the customer? · Role model behaviors for team by
not exhibiting “hierarchical” behavior like taking a larger office, expensing lunches, being
extravagant?
· Being transparent with team about costs – creating a general awareness that things cost money?
· Understand the difference between frugal and cheap?
· Creatively spend money and share your resources?
· Seek out “no-cost” alternatives prior to spending?
Give me an example of how you have helped save costs or eliminate waste within your
operation.
Tell me about a time when you had to make tradeoffs between quality and cost. How did you
weigh the options? What was the result?
Tell me about a time you had to get something done with half or two thirds of the resources you
thought you’d need for the project or initiative.
Tell me about a time when you generated a creative solution to a problem or project without
requiring additional resources. What was the problem? What was the solution and how did you
come up with it?
Tell me about a time you didn’t have enough resources to do something you felt was important
but found a creative way to get it done anyway. What drove you to seek out creative solutions?
Give an example of a time you requested additional funding/budget to complete a project. Why
was it needed? Did you try to figure out another approach? Did you get the additional resources?
Why or why not?
What this looks like in Practice As a people manager do you… As an individual contributor do
you… · Question rigorously, challenge assumptions and escalate issues up and across the “food
chain” when you’re not satisfied, even if unpopular? · Stand up for what you believe is in the
best interest of the company and our customers? · Openly demonstrate your support and
commitment to decisions that have been made, even though you may not have originally agreed?
Refrain from being transparent with these types of decisions in the best interests of your
employees? · Get on board with decisions that have been made, even though you may not have
originally agreed?
Tell me about a time that you strongly disagreed with your manager on something you deemed to
be very important to the business. What was it about and how did you handle it?
Give me an example of when you took an unpopular stance in a meeting with peers and your
leader and you were the outlier. What was it, why did you feel strongly about it, and what did
you do?
When do you decide to go along with the group decision even if you disagree?
Give me an example of a time you chose to acquiesce to the group even when you disagreed.
Would you make the same decision now?
Describe a time where you felt really strongly about something but ultimately lost the argument.
How hard did you press the issue? What was your approach after you lost the argument?
Give an example when you submitted a good idea to your manager and he/she did not take action
on it? How did you handle it? What was the end outcome?
Tell me about a time the business gained something because you persisted for a length of time.
Why were you so determined? How did it turn out?
Provide an example of a time when you have had to make a difficult decision under pressure and
then defend and justify it. Was it the right decision?