S10-Ep40: Delivering the Future - Why Amazon Execs Lead Beyond Retail

Guests: Ryan Redington, Amazon Music GM, & Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer

An open door is an opportunity – and a risk. Assess that risk a little easier with the one-way and two-way door framework. It’s just one of the tools Amazon uses to innovate better and faster.

 

In this episode, two Amazon execs explain how and why they innovate in areas outside of the company’s stereotypical retail business: in sustainability and in the music industry.The impact has been huge. Over 500 companies have joined Amazon in their climate pledge, moving to clean energy and other sustainable practices. In music, they’re redefining the industry, even discovering new artists such as Chappell Roan!

Here's what Kara, Ryan, and Maureen cover:

1. Why seeing an industry outside of its traditions helps you discover new markets and opportunities;
2. What the one- and two-way door framework is, and how to use it to spark innovation; and
3. Why it’s good business to increase sustainability and climate action.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• Innovation Insights: Amazon Executives Share How They Deliver the Future with VPs Udit Madan, Jamil Ghani, & Sarah Rhoads
• How Climate Change Batters Business Bottom Lines with former Prime Minister Kim Campbell
• Stewarding the Future of the Planet: Views from the Boardroom with Helle Bank Jorgensen

 

For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!

 

RESOURCES:

Detail about the sustainability initiatives Kara mentioned are online at https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/. Businesses interested in working with – or just learning from – Amazon’s sustainability efforts can learn more on the Exchange at https://exchange.aboutamazon.com/.

 

Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here. 

 

Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.

 

Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here. 

 

Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:

• Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work by Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ.
• Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn.
• The War of Art by Steven