“Amazon, as far as I can tell, is a charitable organization being run by elements of the investment community for the benefit of consumers,” writes one outside observer. But I don’t think so. To me, trying to dole out improvements in a just-in-time fashion would be too clever by half. It would be risky in a world as fast-moving as the one we all live in. More fundamentally, I think long-term thinking squares the circle. Proactively delighting customers earns trust,which earns more business from those customers, even in new business arenas. Take a long-term view, and the interests of customers and shareholders align.
The success of Amazon these past 16 years would come as no surprise to anyone who subscribes to the idea that you take the best care of the customer and everything else falls into place.
Amazon is perhaps the single best embodiment of this ideal in Corporate America today.
Jeff Bezos is beginning attain an aura about him, a halo around his head handed down to him from the recently departed Steve Jobs. We are approaching a moment of near-universal agreement that Bezos can do no wrong. It is fascinating to watch - especially given the high degree of skepticism that once dogged his every move and initiative.
Jeff's letter to shareholders - in which he reaffirms the company's focus on it's customer and not them - is a fantastic piece of mission statement-craft. It will educate you as to how the company is and always has been oriented, it may even inspire you to think about some of these ideas for your own business or daily practices.
Read it here:
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