Amazon’s CEO reveals how to succeed at Amazon without a huge team

Want to climb the ladder at Amazon? Forget building an empire. Seriously.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is shaking things up. He wants to trim down middle management. And he’s got a surprising take on how to get ahead.

Forget about hoarding a huge team. Think lean and mean.

Small Teams, Big Impact?

Jassy says the best leaders are efficient. They get the job done with less. Less staff, fewer resources.

Think about Amazon Web Services (AWS). A massive success story, right? Jassy pointed out some of its most successful parts started with just a dozen people.

AWS brought in over $100 billion in revenue last year. Proof that small can be mighty?

Less Middle Management, More Action

Last September, Jassy announced a plan: reduce the number of middle managers. By the end of March, he wanted to see a shift.

He asked senior leaders to boost the ratio of individual contributors to managers. By at least 15%. It sounded like big changes were coming.

Some predicted massive layoffs. Thousands of managers potentially out of a job. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Amazon got creative.

How Did They Do It?

Amazon combined teams. Some managers shifted roles. They met their goal without widespread job cuts. Smart.

Amazon told Fast Company they found ways to increase the ratio “without eliminating roles. ”

Why This Matters

Think about it. How much time do managers spend on actual management? A recent Deloitte study showed that almost 40% of their time is spent on administrative tasks.

Maybe fewer layers *can* mean more efficiency. More focus on the work that really matters.

The Takeaway?

Jassy’s message is clear. At Amazon, it’s not about the size of your team. It’s about what you achieve. With what you have.

Food for thought, no matter where you work, right?