Work Politics

Without getting into specifics, I really dislike workplace politics.One of the Amazon Leadership Principals is "Frugality."

Frugality
We try not to spend money on things that don’t matter to customers. Frugality breeds resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.

The moment people start to make a land-grab for headcount and prestige I get pissed off -- especially if it's at my team's expense.Another couple of principals are:

Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

We need to make sure that whatever you're doing isn't just made to expand an empire. What you need to do is make sure that what you're shipping is as good as you can make it -- and that it's what the customers want.It seems simple and straightforward, but it's a lot harder in practice at times.I'll leave it with this last one:

Earn Trust of Others
Leaders are sincerely open-minded, genuinely listen, and are willing to examine their strongest convictions with humility.