How you respond when you’re told you need to improve your skills—even though you’ve been doing your job for years—will likely determine the trajectory of your career. At least, that’s what Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says.
Of all the tech giants 16 Principles of Leadership In an article written by company founder Jeff Bezos, Jassy says that the constant eagerness to learn more is what separates those around him who “grew their careers dramatically from those who remained stagnant.”
“You have to be hungry and hungry to find ways to learn,” the 56-year-old Amazon veteran said in a YouTube video last week.
“The second you feel like you don’t have much left to learn is the moment you relax as an individual and as a professional in learning.”
The world of work is constantly changing – and you should too.
As Jassy points out, maintaining a mindset of not knowing everything is “not easy.” It’s common to assume that once we’ve studied, refined our skills, and moved up the ranks, it’s now our turn to pass on the knowledge to others.
But in reality, the world of work is constantly being reimagined — think of how managers had to adapt to leading from home during the pandemic, and now AI is shaking up most sectors even more.
“Even if you spend several months or years learning a subject, it can go upside down very quickly,” said Jassy, who has risen through the ranks at Amazon over two decades.
“Instead of feeling threatened and scared, you have to think of it as part of the fun of what you’re doing.”
He warned that many professionals are “great” at talking about how to adapt to changes in the industry, but then either revert to the old ways of doing things or fail to try to implement the changes at all.
To avoid falling into the trap of talking and not acting, Jassy said you have to “have a plan for how to change and then make that change.”
To prepare this plan, he advises you to ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I do well?
- What does the team do well?
- What do we need to improve?
“You have to be honest about the situation and what customers care about, and you have to be able to evaluate yourself and be aware of yourself,” he added.
“Try to improve, even a little, every day, every week when you come to work.”
Leaders agree on the importance of learning.
Jassy isn’t the only one who believes learning is the key to not getting stuck in business.
Shaid Shah, global president of Mars Food & Nutrition, the global pet food and care giant, said earlier: luck “Career success is not just about hierarchy.”
“It’s about gaining the experiences you need to achieve your ambitions, understanding what makes you happy, what motivates you, what inspires you to get out of bed every day,” explained Shah, who has steadily risen through the ranks from sales manager to head of Mars’ food and nutrition division.
Anish Raman, Barack Obama’s former speechwriter, has argued that workers should ditch titles altogether in order to focus on developing skills — at least until they reach age 35.
“This is the time to figure out what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, and what you want to get better at,” Raman said.
Even Roger Federer, winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, attributes his success to constantly improving his technique, studying his opponents and learning new ways to beat them.
“I didn’t get where I am just because of my talent. I got where I am by trying to outdo my opponents. And most of the time, it’s not about talent. It’s about guts,” he added.