I first read The Amazon Way in 2014 at a time we were still early in our turnaround efforts at Best Buy and found it extremely stimulating at the time. In this new edition, John Rossman provides an updated, in-depth and invaluable view of the principles that are fueling Amazon’s extraordinary business success. John’s suggestion to add a new principle focused on the Golden Rule is a great one for every company, as, more than ever, we need business to serve the common good!

The Amazon Way was an essential tool that I referenced often as I led Blue Origin. The stories and background behind each of the Amazon leadership principles provided both essential insight into Amazon and valuable context to the guidance I received from Jeff Bezos as we rapidly scaled Blue Origin in size and into new business areas. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how one of the largest organizations in the world remains innovative and customer-obsessed while growing through ambiguity, uncertainty, and change.

I observed John successfully integrate the 14 leadership principles into his client work on a daily basis during our 12 years together at Alvarez & Marsal. The 14 leadership principles can be used as a “Preflight CheckList”. I refer to the principles before launching any critical initiative.

Rossman’s ‘super-powers’ come from his capacity to translate Amazon’s leadership principles success into business classic for any business that is seeking to become a more agile, customer-centric enterprise. The Amazon Way is his most captivating as Rossman creates a combination of story-telling and credibility based on his capacity to clearly articulate the practical value of the lessons learned from his experience running in the fastest of all fast lanes.

In The Amazon Way, Rossman clearly outlines the case to be relentlessly obsessed with customer experience and working backwards to innovate on their behalf. In healthcare, patients are becoming active consumers with an increasing focus on quality and improved affordability of treatments and care. While the idea of customer focus may sound like common sense – it is something many industries, including my own, can and need to learn from Amazon. This inspiring and pragmatic read will make any leader stop and think: How do you drive accountability to deliver on what matters most at all levels of the organization? Is your strategy being shaped by data driven decisions? How do you win as one for your customers, through bold collaboration, and thinking about your role beyond your role? My key takeaway: curiosity, culture and clarity are core to the success of any organization. Want to win? It starts with inspiring a future of customer-focused innovation.