Having Bias for Action for smart business growth with Andrea Leigh

Think Like Amazon

Andrea spent 10 years at Amazon where she led over 15 product categories, helped launch Amazon’s automated pricing system, and ran Amazon Prime for Amazon Canada. During this time, Andrea made and oversaw many decisions where speed was critical to grow nascent programs and delight customers. Since leaving Amazon in 2015, Andrea has consulted hundreds of manufacturers and helped grow an agency business while continuing to make quick, calculated decisions and learn from mistakes.

In this episode, Andrea shares several examples from key moments in Amazon’s history where speed was critical. You’ll hear how Amazon’s Bias for Action principle can help marketplaces, service industries, and manufacturers better serve customers and make smart decisions, and you’re sure to enjoy a few fresh ideas from Andrea’s examples and advice.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Andrea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakleigh/

Andrea Leigh Consulting: https://andreakleighconsulting.com/

Ideoclick: https://ideoclick.com/

More from the episode:

6:00 – A litmus test for when to lean on Bias for Action

8:50 – [Amazon Fresh example] When it’s hard to experiment with an existing customer base

11:12 – [Amazon Pricing example] How decisions can be both calculated and fast

15:55 – [Amazon Grocery example] Acting quickly to unwind a decision

19:27 – How Bias for Action can look different within a services business

22:58 – The opportunity for manufacturers to have bias for action in understanding their competitive set

25:25 – How creating an organizational tolerance for failure fosters Bias for Action