‘Learn to be curious’: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reveals what makes one successful in career

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says that one way to be successful in life is to never stop learning. In a series of videos shared by Amazon on 16 leadership principles, originally written by former company CEO Jeff Bezos, Jassy talked about things that make a successful career different from a stagnant one. He said, “You have to be ravenous and hungry to find ways to learn. Learn and Be Curious.” According to him, leaders “are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves.”

He says that this is the main difference between people who grow successfully in careers and the ones whose career is “stagnant”.  

He added, “For some people, at a certain point, they find it too threatening or too difficult to keep learning. The second you think there’s little left for you to learn is the second that you are unwinding as an individual and as a learning professional.”

Jassy added, “You have to think about the idea that you don’t know everything and that there’s a lot to learn. Even if you spent many months or years learning a certain area, it may flip upside down very quickly.”

He advised, “Instead of that feeling threatening and scary, you have to think about that as being part of the fun of what you do.” Jassy explained that you need to be able to self-assess as to where you need to improve. You also need to be self-aware as well, and then build a plan about how to change. He emphasised that effective leaders don't just discuss learning and change; they actively implement it. This drive for continuous improvement enhances customer experiences and business growth, requiring effort to get better daily and weekly.