Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently shared his “best career advice” with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky in a new interview, emphasizing that success is more about attitude than knowledge.
“I think an embarrassing amount of how well you do, particularly in your 20s, has to do with attitude,” Jassy told Roslansky.
He elaborated that having a good attitude goes beyond just being easy to get along with. It involves working hard, being a team player, sticking to commitments, and maintaining a can-do mindset instead of being a naysayer.
“People would be surprised how infrequently people have great attitudes,” Jassy noted, even though it may sound “simple.”
He explained that having a positive attitude encourages people in your professional life to root for you, helping you gain advocates and mentors more quickly as they want to see you succeed.
Mentorship, Jassy pointed out, can significantly enhance one’s career. It boosts self-confidence and provides career guidance, which can aid in promotions, finding new challenges, or even making a career change.
Jassy himself benefited from mentorship, being taken under the wing of Amazon founder and then-CEO Jeff Bezos.
After holding various roles at the company since 1997, Jassy was chosen by Bezos to be his “shadow.” This role allowed him to attend all of Bezos’ meetings, including one-on-ones, and to discuss and strategize together.
Jassy took over as Amazon’s second CEO in 2021 after Bezos stepped down. He had proven himself by serving as CEO of AWS, the company’s cloud computing platform, from 2016 to 2021, growing the segment into a $40 billion business.
