In this episode, James Currier interviews Ann Hiatt, discussing her experiences at Amazon, Google, and Yahoo, the importance of 'glue people' in tech, and her transition from Amazon to Google. They explore key strengths for success, characteristics of successful CEOs, and the importance of team dissent. Insights on mission statements, value-alignment hiring, and building significant companies are shared. The episode concludes with a discussion on Hiatt's book "Bet on Yourself".
What few people see is that Trillion-Dollar Leadership focuses relentlessly on the “who.” Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt both aligned their companies around this question: Who are we serving and who is going to get us there?
Today, Ann Hiatt (former Chief of Staff / Executive Business Partner to Bezos and then Schmidt for 14+ years) shares with NFX Partner James Currier her insider stories, analysis, and patterns of Bezos' and Schmidt's leadership principles and mental models. She gives us intimate insight to:
- What crazy, long-term vision looks like, even in its earliest days
- 3-part framework for value-alignment in $Trillion teams
- How to hire and motivate people who will invent the future
- Tthe leadership mental models she learned from working directly with Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, for the benefit of Founders everywhere.
Read the NFX essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/trillion-dollar-leadership/
(0:00) Introduction and guest background: Ann Hiatt
(1:37) Ann's experience in Silicon Valley and roles at Amazon, Google, and Yahoo
(8:28) The importance of networking and the role of 'glue people' in tech companies
(16:57) Transition from Amazon to Google and first impressions
(22:25) Key strengths for success: detail orientation, anticipation, and calm under pressure
(29:16) Sponsor message
(31:09) Common characteristics of successful CEOs and the importance of dissent in teams
(34:21) Launch of Amazon Prime and Jeff Bezos's negotiation tactics
(38:08) Insights on mission statement, hiring for value alignment, and building a significant company
(42:14) Ann Hiatt's new book "Bet on Yourself" and advice on career growth
(47:18) Closing remarks and the NFX philosophy
The NFX Podcast