John Schoettler is used to being the quiet one in a meeting. He has learned to listen (what he calls turning on your “big ears”) to everyone’s perspective, and then ask clarifying questions to ensure he truly understands what matters most to others. After 23 years at Amazon, Schoettler has found that practicing the Leadership Principles has helped him in real situations at work and beyond.
“I have been in rooms with heated debates and different perspectives, and over my career, I’ve learned that the best way to reach the ultimate vision is by truly understanding everyone’s point of view, listening closely, and then taking action,” said Schoettler, vice president, Global Corporate Real Estate and Facilities at Amazon.
Schoettler has worked on some of the most ambitious real estate projects at Amazon. He and his team oversaw the construction of The Spheres in Seattle; he was involved in the decision to build Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia; and he played a key role in the construction of Amazon’s largest office building in the world at Hyderabad, India to name a few. And while the initial vision is usually clear, most projects encounter roadblocks along the way. "What has remained consistent is the power of Amazon’s Leadership Principles to help move initiatives forward, remaining stubborn on the vision, and flexible on the details," said Schoettler.
Schoettler shares his tips on how you can do the same when looking for a compromise—built around Amazon’s Leadership Principles.
1. When it comes to Customer Obsession, our employees get the same rigor as every other customer we have.
The initial design of the Van Vorst Building in Seattle—intended to be Amazon’s “living room” with meeting rooms, a café, and a fireplace—offered only one entrance from the outside. Schoettler explained to stakeholders—the developers, architects, contractors, and project management team—that Amazon employees are busy and traveling between offices from different directions around the neighborhood, so providing multiple entrances and exits on either side of the building would give better access, and allow traffic to filter through the building, which would also help support ground-level small businesses in the area.
“The group explained why it couldn’t be done and why it wouldn’t work,” Schoettler said. “They had legitimate concerns, and there were quite a few obstacles. I told them I understood and would figure it out with them, and work by their side throughout the entire process.”
Schoettler went to every meeting to get approval for two entrances, he went back to the design review board, to the landmarks commission, back to the Seattle City Council, and then to the building department.
“The team saw how committed I was, and how willing to put in the work with them, which really helped them eventually buy in to the vision that they’d had concerns about at the beginning,” he said. “If you are willing to go the extra mile, take an extra step, and go hand in hand, people will help you deliver results, no matter how many obstacles you may face.”
2. Ownership means you figure out a path to resolution that is right for customers.
When Schoettler worked with Amazon founder and Executive Chair Jeff Bezos on what would become The Spheres in Seattle, Bezos started with a lofty request: create an iconic building that would be available to everyone.
“Jeff wanted us to create a place for people first and plants second. He admitted this was something that had never been done before, and that if we couldn’t get it right, we shouldn’t do it. He wanted the space to serve as an alternative work environment, where employees could connect with nature, and a place where employees could bring friends and family,” Schoettler said. “At each meeting Jeff would discuss a variety of concepts and describe what qualities he thought the building should include.”
The team listened, but knew there would need to be a balance between the vision and what was feasible. They created boards summarizing each new concept and feature. At the beginning of each meeting, the team would go through all of the items that had been discussed previously.
“We discussed each item, whether or not we had a solution, the cost, and whether it was actually doable, and if not, why,” Schoettler said. “This was our way of showing we were truly listening and if we couldn’t address something on the list, we had an explanation and showed our homework, demonstrating that we were listening, we knew what we were doing, and we had clear reasoning behind every recommendation.”
3. To Deliver Results, you overcome obstacles and persist to get to yes.
It used to be rare for office buildings to have operable windows. But Amazon wanted employees to have fresh air and some access to the outdoors. When it was time to move from the Pacific Medical Center to South Lake Union Campus in 2010, operable windows were not considered to be standard in a modern office building.
“We were not the building owners at the time, we were the tenant,” Schoettler said. “Developers were not installing operable windows in modern office buildings, so this was a new concept for owners and developers and a feature they were not in favor of. We wanted to provide employees with access to fresh air, a connection to the outdoors, and to take advantage of the temperate climate in the Pacific Northwest.”
Schoettler and his team were persistent, explaining there was no better place than Seattle to try and shift the paradigm around office building design and construction. It would also provide a sustainability benefit by reducing cooling loads, and potentially start a new trend in office building design.
“We just kept mentioning the benefits and potential to start a real trend,” he said. “I often think of one of Jeff’s mantras to be stubborn on the vision, but flexible on the details. Turning a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ shouldn’t come at the expense of earning trust, but rather from a place of customer obsession.”
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