311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

Over the course of his career, Ethan Evans reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted over 2,500 interviews, and made more than 1,000 hires. He knows a thing or two about finding, onboarding, AND developing the right people.

In this high-energy conversation, Ethan shares the qualities he looked for and the aspects of character he believes are most important for leaders. You’ll find great value in reflecting on the lessons he learned from a big mistake he made at Amazon that got him in trouble with CEO Jeff Bezos.

Ethan is a former Vice President at Amazon. During his 15 years there, he helped invent many of the offerings that we take for granted today, like Prime Video, Amazon Video, and the Amazon App Store. Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.

In September of 2020, Ethan retired from Amazon and made the decision to pay it forward. He devotes time teaching leaders to become true executives through courses he offers and free content he provides on LinkedIn and his website.

You’ll discover:

How Ethan added to the Amazon Leadership Principle of Ownership
What Ethan looks for when interviewing a candidate or considering someone for a promotion
The five steps in Ethan’s Magic Loop for managing up
What leaders can do to build trust quickly
A big mistake Ethan made at Amazon and the lessons he learned from it

Watch the episode:

Connect with Ethan

Ethan’s Website

Ethan Evans

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

Listen to the GSL Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon

191: Creating a Culture of Welcome

What would you predict the future to be for a boy who was the son of a Black pimp father and a white single mother on welfare? If you answered “pretty bleak,” you would be wrong in the case of JeVon McCormick. JeVon took all the adversity he faced and turned it into a highly successful life and career.

Today, JeVon is the CEO of Scribe Media, a multi-million-dollar publishing company that was recently ranked the #1 Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. JeVon was recently named Best CEO in Austin, Texas.

JeVon’s experiences shaped a mindset for modern leadership that now guides his service at Scribe Media and is captured in his book, Modern Leader. You are likely to re-evaluate of your ideas and even some of the words you use as you listen to this thought-provoking conversation.

You’ll discover:

The incident that made JeVon immune to criticism from others
Why the old corporate playbook is obsolete
The #1 behavior that modern leaders need to demonstrate
What JeVon learned from his biggest mistake
Words that JeVon dislikes and the alternatives he prefers

Watch the episode:

Connect with JeVon

JeVon’s Resources

Websites

Scribe Media

JeVon McCormick

Books

Modern Leader

I Got There: How a Mixed-Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty, and Abuse to Arrive at the American Dream

False button text

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon

184: How We Show Up Changes Everything

What’s it like to hire, coach and fire based on your company’s Purpose, Values, and Mission? Clate Mask knows the answer because that’s exactly what he and his team at Keap are doing every day at Keap. And they’ve built a positive culture where everyone takes ownership and personal responsibility for their actions.

Clate is the co-founder and CEO of Keap (formerly Infusionsoft), with the mission of simplifying growth for millions of small businesses worldwide. Clate’s passion for small business success stems from his personal experience taking his software company from a struggling startup to an eight-time Inc. 500/5000 winner. He’s received numerous awards over the years, including Business Leader of the Year from the Arizona Technology Council, and he was a finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Clate is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy, a must-read for every business owner.

You’ll discover:

What Clate learned from his coach Steve Hardison about how to show up for important conversations
The importance of hiring people who are eager to grow as individuals and be owners of their lives
Why Caring is the #1 core value at Keap
The questions you’ll want to answer if you’re committed to creating a positive culture
Some of the most important lessons Clate has learned as a leader

Watch the episode:

Connect with Clate

Clate’s Resources

Website

Keap

Book

Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy

False button text

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon

117: Embrace Pain to Avoid Suffering

Can you imagine having your arm torn off your body at age 7? That was the reality that my guest, Brian Bogert, faced at that tender age. You’ll be inspired and moved hearing Brian’s story of the accident, his recovery, and how he has used that experience to pursue the path he’s on now. His goal is to impact one BILLION people in the next 25 years, to help them see how to experience No Limits Living. Get out your pen and paper because Brian shares so much wisdom that you’ll want to capture these insights and tips to apply later.

Brian is a passionate human behavior and performance coach, speaker, business strategist, top sales professional and philanthropic leader who believes in helping growth-minded individuals achieve the best version of themselves: meaning, their most authentic selves.

You’ll discover:

How to experience pain so you can move through it now and avoid suffering in the future
Ways to increase your levels of awareness to realize when you’re operating in a “victim” mindset
Questions you can ask others to help you identify blind spots…and the mindset you need to adopt before you ask
How to take personal responsibility even if you find yourself being emotionally triggered by someone’s words or actions
The advantages of approaching a situation from a neutral position

Watch the episode:

Connect with Brian

False button text

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon

Brian’s Website

BrianBogert.com

Subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Be a guest on the Strong for Performance Podcast