Making Big Bets
- Resource Type
- RTM Publication
- Publish Date
- 08/19/2024
- Authors
- Jim Euchner, John Rossman
- Topic
- Innovation
- Associated Event
- Publication
A Conversation with John Rossman
John Rossman was an early executive at Amazon. He played a key role in launching and running two businesses at Amazon and became immersed in its culture and its practices. He has since applied and extended what he learned into many other corporate contexts. A key finding is that the principles are helpful in many circumstances, but the practices depend on the company and the management team. In this interview, Rossman discusses the practices that he has found useful as companies seek to make transformative change—what he frames as a “big bet.” These include discussions of the “What Sucks” memo, the WTF memo, and the flywheel. He also discusses the managerial practices that make the system work.
John Rossman is the author of four books on leadership and business innovation, including the bestsellers The Amazon Way and Big Bet Leadership. He is an early Amazon executive who played a key role in launching the Amazon marketplace business in 2002. He is a prominent keynote speaker on leadership for innovation and transformation. He has served as the senior technology advisor at the Gates Foundation and as a senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile. He has a BS in industrial engineering from Oregon State University.
Jim Euchner is founder and partner of Outside Insight Consulting. He is a visiting professor at Aston University (United Kingdom) and former editor-in-chief of Research-Technology Management. He previously held senior management positions in innovation leadership at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Pitney Bowes, and Bell Atlantic. He holds BS and MS degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell and Princeton universities, respectively, and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is the author of Lean Startup in Large Organizations.