Ethan Evans

Evans failed during a high-profile Amazon product launch that angered CEO Jeff Bezos, but was later promoted to VP.

If I can get away with publicly failing one of the richest and most famous inventors on earth, and then get promoted and finish my career at Amazon very successfully, you can dig out of any hole.

It's really easy to flame. Angry emails are easy. Sitting three feet from someone and being angry with them face-to-face is hard.

This refers to Jeff Bezos choosing to respond kindly when Ethan sat next to him at a meeting, despite being angry about a recent system failure.

When faced with, I can either start ranting at this person who reports to me, or I can say something nice, he chose to say something nice, and that rebuilt our relationship.

"The loop" refers to Evans' "Magic Loop" - a 5-step career advancement framework involving asking your manager how to help and repeating the process.

What your manager should do and $4 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The point of this loop is it's in your control.

The difference between a senior manager and a director is how you lead and the work you're doing. You can get as far as senior manager by being really strong in your function, but as a director it becomes much more about influence, coordination with others, and letting go of being in all the details yourself.

At my level, I want the best people under me I can have. Why wouldn't I want stronger, more capable direct reports? Frankly, that's the only way I can do less of my job.

You don't need very many good ideas to be seen as tremendously inventive. Like Elon Musk, Tesla, he can kind of dust off his hands and be like, 'I am now an Edison-like inventor.'

People think invention takes all this time, but you only need two hours once a month. The thing is, once you have one good idea, it often takes years to express that.

An owner never says that's not my job.

I taught myself a new phrase which was fear the New York Times headline. Be aware that if Amazon is down, it goes up on every news website immediately.

Being right is good, but being quick is necessary. Because if there are 10 startups working on an idea, some of them will gamble and make an early bet and be right.

The biggest thing I see particularly at higher levels is people talk about what they have done but not why it mattered. They don't talk about the impact.

The biggest thing I see particularly at higher levels is people talk about what they have done but not why it mattered. They don't talk about the impact.

The number one and two factors in any interview are appearance and enthusiasm. People want to work with people that want to work with them.

I'm trying to rebuild trust one hour at a time, and avoid having three or four levels of management all come in and start helping.

The most straightforward way to invent is not to somehow come up with something completely new, but instead to put together two things that exist.

People think invention takes all this time, but you only need two hours once a month. The thing is, once you have one good idea, it often takes years to express that.

You don't need very many good ideas to be seen as tremendously inventive.

To invent systematically, first you do need to be somewhat of an expert in whatever area you want to invent. But then the second thing people don't do is they don't spend dedicated time actually thinking.

Very few people go and ask their manager, 'What can I do to help you? What do you need?' And so just asking sets you apart.

Very few people go and ask their manager, 'What can I do to help you? What do you need?' And so just asking sets you apart.

Managers help those who help them. It's just human nature. We all do that.

"The loop" refers to Evans' Magic Loop framework: a 5-step process for building manager partnerships to advance your career.

What your manager should do and $4 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The point of this loop is it's in your control.