Taking control of your career | Ethan Evans (Amazon)

1. Master the Magic Loop

Consistently apply the five-step “Magic Loop” to advance your career: 1) Excel in your current role, 2) Ask your manager how you can help, 3) Do what they ask, 4) Propose how you can help them while also achieving your career goals (which you must define), and 5) Repeat the process to build trust and partnership.

2. Proactive Leadership for Advancement

For senior managers aiming for higher roles, proactively practice next-level skills like strategic thinking and inventiveness. Seek opportunities to lead strategic projects to demonstrate readiness for director or VP positions, making yourself the obvious choice when opportunities arise.

3. Systematic Invention Practice

Dedicate focused time (e.g., two hours once a month) away from devices to think about problems in your area of expertise. Aim to combine existing concepts in new ways rather than inventing entirely new things, as this systematic approach can lead to significant innovations over time.

4. Interview with Enthusiasm & Impact

Prioritize appearance and enthusiasm in interviews, showing genuine interest and full presence (especially on Zoom with camera on and eye contact). Crucially, focus on the impact of your past work, demonstrating how your contributions solved business problems rather than just listing tasks performed.

5. Recover from Major Failures

When facing a significant failure, immediately own the mistake, proactively communicate frequent updates on the recovery plan, and work tirelessly to fix the problem. Don’t let shame paralyze you; instead, focus on learning from the mistake and rebuilding trust through consistent, reliable performance.

6. Cultivate Strong Peer Networks

Actively seek to surround yourself with extraordinary peers to gain unbiased opinions, diverse perspectives, and raw feedback on your challenges and career trajectory. This trusted group can provide a significant leap forward in your professional development.

7. Embrace Bias for Action

Understand that speed is critical in business, especially for reversible decisions, and prioritize moving quickly to capitalize on opportunities. Develop a process that values rapid execution and commitment to daily progress.

8. Practice True Ownership

Adopt the mindset that “an owner never says that’s not my job,” taking responsibility for challenges beyond your immediate scope. This demonstrates a broader commitment to the organization’s success.

9. Question Your Own Beliefs

As a leader, actively work to disconfirm your own beliefs and seek diverse perspectives. This ensures decisions are well-rounded and grounded in new evidence, rather than solely relying on existing assumptions.

10. Lead with Trust and Handshakes

Consider doing business based on trust and your word, rather than being overly reliant on contracts and suspicion. While occasional setbacks may occur, this approach fosters stronger relationships and reduces the high cost of constant distrust.

11. Prioritize Beta Testing

When developing new products, prioritize extensive beta testing over surprise launches to catch issues early. This prevents public failures and protects the company’s reputation, even if it means some information leaks.

12. Support Team After Failures

After a team member makes a mistake, especially a junior one, reach out to reassure them that the system failed, not just them, and that bugs happen. This prevents undue responsibility and helps retain valuable talent.

13. Define Your Career Goals

Clearly define your personal career goals, whether it’s promotion, a raise, a new role, or a better work-life balance. Communicating these goals to your manager is crucial for them to help you achieve them through the Magic Loop.

14. Leverage Diverse Perspectives

Actively seek out and incorporate diverse perspectives in decision-making to avoid narrow viewpoints. This ensures that decisions are appropriate for a broad customer base and reflects a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

15. Balance Speed with Caution

For high-impact decisions, balance the bias for action with a “fear the New York Times headline” mindset, meaning carefully consider the potential public repercussions of your actions. This helps avoid mistakes that could damage the company’s reputation.

16. Assess Disagree and Commit

When interviewing leaders, ask about times they disagreed with management to assess their ability to “have backbone, disagree and commit.” This indicates they can challenge effectively while still supporting final decisions.