As a Leader, Time Is Your Most Valuable Resource

Make sure everything you do is helping you achieve your most important goals

Dave Anderson
7 min readApr 22, 2019

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Photo: Tetra Images/Getty Images

During interviews at Amazon, we allow five minutes for questions at the end. Some people ask about the team they’ll be working with, while others inquire about the technology they’ll be using.

Occasionally a candidate says, “I’ve heard Amazon can be a really hard place to work. Some people thrive and some people fail. Why is that, and how can I avoid joining the ranks of those who fail?”

This is a great question. I have heard a variation of this statement at Amazon dozens of times over the years:

I’m going to lose my mind! I have 14 direct reports and one critical project on fire, and my calendar is completely packed. The only way I can make any progress is by working after my team goes home. I’m not sure how much longer I can take it.

My usual answer to the interviewee is this:

Amazon has an infinite amount of work. The fire hose of work will never abate. No one will throttle your work for you. If you have a hard time saying no, or a hard time prioritizing your…

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Dave Anderson

Former Head of Technology at Bezos Academy, Director/GM at Amazon. Husband, and Father. Find me at https://scarletink.com/