How to Get Promoted Faster: These 5-Steps Made Me an Amazon VP

The Magic Loop: A Five-Step Career Growth Framework [0:00]

• The "magic loop" is a structured five-step process to accelerate career growth, even in the presence of difficult managers.
• The initial steps emphasize foundational performance and proactive support:
  1. Do your job well: Ensure you are performing at a solid level, addressing any issues with your manager.
  2. Ask your boss how you can help: Proactively inquire about their needs and how you can contribute to their success.
  3. Whatever they say, do it: Fulfill requests, even if they are not your preferred tasks, to build trust and demonstrate commitment.
• The subsequent steps leverage the established rapport for personal development:
  1. Propose mutually beneficial tasks: Suggest ways you can help the manager achieve their goals while simultaneously advancing your own career objectives (e.g., learning a new skill, seeking a raise or promotion).
  2. Repeat the cycle: Continuously engage in the loop to foster ongoing growth and partnership.
• This method works because managers are more inclined to support individuals who actively assist them.
• The core principle is to take control of your career trajectory, especially when managers may not be equipped or available to guide it proactively.

"The magic loop is how to grow your career in almost any circumstance even with a somewhat difficult manager."

Adapting the Magic Loop and Addressing Managerial Gaps [03:59]

• While the magic loop is highly effective, its necessity can be reduced with a highly engaged and supportive manager who proactively offers feedback and opportunities.
• The loop is primarily designed for individuals who lack clear direction or have managers who are either less effective, extremely busy, or have their own career priorities to manage.
• Many managers, despite good intentions, get bogged down by their own work and career aspirations, leading to delayed or absent employee support.
• A key clarification for the magic loop is that it puts career advancement in your control, regardless of managerial perfection.

"It is true that a good manager would do all those things I just mentioned but not all managers are good and some of them need some help."

Extending the Magic Loop to Managers and Demonstrating Impact [06:16]

• Managers can also initiate the magic loop from their side by actively engaging employees about their career goals and proposing partnerships for mutual growth.
• This reciprocal approach fosters a strong sense of investment in employees, leading them to "lean in" and work harder, creating a win-win scenario for team and opportunity growth.

"Look if you are a manager or a leader of any type you can initiate the magic loop from your side."

Real-World Success Stories: From Entry-Level to Executive [07:09]

• The magic loop has demonstrated significant success across various career stages.
• An entry-level individual, initially facing redundancy, used the loop to secure two successive job offers with substantial salary increases, highlighting its power in a competitive job market.
• A senior engineer, starting at an L5 level, experienced rapid progression over eight years, moving through senior engineer, management, senior manager, director roles, and eventually leading an office of hundreds, underscoring the framework's ability to drive long-term executive growth.
• This individual later founded a startup and became an Executive Vice President at a major online bank, illustrating the transformative potential of consistent application of the magic loop.

"A year ago I was made redundant... I got this first job and I got an offer for an increased salary and then I got the second job and I got an increase when I joined that was even bigger."

Career Progression: The Transition from Senior Manager to Director [15:51]

• A common bottleneck in career progression occurs at the senior manager level, often due to a limited number of director-level positions and current economic conditions.
• The key distinction between a senior manager and a director lies in the shift from leading work to influencing and coordinating across multiple teams, requiring a release from granular detail.
• Success at director and VP levels necessitates strategic thinking, long-term planning, and adapting to new behaviors, as famously outlined in Marshall Goldsmith's "What Got You Here Won't Get You There."
• While some patience is required as organizational needs dictate promotions, individuals can proactively develop next-level skills, take on strategic projects, and increase their inventiveness to become the prime candidate when opportunities arise.
• This involves being the person who is chosen, whether through a boss's departure, promotion, or organizational restructuring, where strong performance and potential are evident.

"The difference between a senior manager and a director is kind of you lead and the work you're doing and you can get as far as senior manager by being really strong in your function and being really good at getting things done."

The Power of Inventiveness and Systematic Innovation [19:10]

• The concept of being an "inventor," as articulated by figures like Jeff Bezos, is crucial for sustained career growth, particularly in organizations that value innovation.
• Amazon's leadership principle of "Invent and Simplify" drives a culture focused on creating an "invention machine" rather than just launching products.
• Becoming systematically inventive requires being an expert in the relevant field and dedicating focused time to thinking, rather than expecting inspiration to strike randomly.
• A straightforward approach to invention involves combining existing elements in novel ways. For example, a patent for drone delivery involved combining drone technology with the concept of a mobile distribution hub (a truck) to optimize neighborhood delivery routes.
• This process requires understanding the problem, leveraging existing knowledge, and dedicated concentration to generate innovative solutions.

"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."

Standing Out in Interviews: Enthusiasm, Appearance, and Impact [23:20]

• In job interviews, particularly at higher levels, appearance and enthusiasm are identified as the most significant factors, alongside demonstrating tangible impact.
• Candidates should present themselves professionally and convey genuine interest in the role and company.
• Beyond superficial presentation, the critical differentiator is articulating why past accomplishments mattered and the impact they had on the employer, rather than simply listing tasks performed.
• Leaders hire to solve problems or meet needs; therefore, showcasing how you've made a difference and contributed to the business's success is paramount.
• For virtual interviews, maintaining full-time dedication, ensuring the camera is on, making eye contact, and using body language effectively are essential for projecting engagement and enthusiasm.

"See a leader is not hiring someone to just do work they're hiring someone because they have a problem or a need."

Lessons Learned: Surprise Launches and Supporting Junior Engineers [26:40]

• A key lesson learned from Amazon's "surprise launch" culture is that while secretive launches might seem efficient, they often lead to unexpected failures that are only discovered post-launch.
• A more effective approach involves extensive beta testing, even if it means potential leaks, to identify and rectify issues before a full public release.
• In retrospect, a significant regret was the failure to adequately support a junior engineer who made a coding error that caused a system failure.
• The mistake was not providing sufficient oversight or reassurance, leading the engineer to feel solely responsible and ultimately depart the company. This highlights the importance of recognizing systemic failures and providing support, rather than solely attributing blame.

"The thing I regret in this whole thing is not realizing that even though no one in the team ever yelled at him or whatever he knew it was his bug and he obviously saw me and others sort of taking a beating and so he left."