Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos detested slide deck presentations because they too often allowed for a superficial overview and discussion of the issues involved in a critical project or decision.
So, he replaced them with six-page memos that require leaders to thoroughly articulate the case for a project and to highlight the supporting facts and details critical for its acceptance.
At the start of meetings, attendees spend about 30 minutes in silence reading the memo, creating a deep understanding of the issues, and preparing themselves for a highly robust discussion.
When first putting this process in place, Bezos insisted that people not read the memos before a meeting, preferring instead for attendees to read the memo together so they could discuss the issues while they were fresh.
This also avoided having team members skim the memo and potentially skirt over key understandings.
Unlike similar organizations with critical decisions to make, leaders at Amazon spend between one and four hours writing and reading every day. Bezos believes this memo-writing and reading practice is the secret sauce of Amazon.
Maybe he’s right.
Drafting a six-page memo for others to read and digest before diving into an issue certainly clarifies thinking.
Current CEO Andy Jassy credits this writing process with teaching him how to thoroughly consider ideas and to present them logically for others.
According to Bezos and Jassy, reading the memo and then discussing it will highlight weak thinking, drive alignment, and lead to better decision-making.
Once the ideas are crystallized and discussed in this process, they are easier to understand and critique on their merits. It removes much of the bias of passionate advocacy that leads to faulty decision-making.
When people are all on the same page with the same set of facts, they are fully prepared to contribute to the discussion.
The belief at Amazon is that quality decision-making depends on this level-setting of a higher understanding where each attendee shares the context, goals, data, and analysis underlying a proposal.
The question for leaders to ponder is how to replicate the deep, rigorous thinking such a process promotes.
While such a departure in discussion preparation would be difficult to incorporate at many organizations, the idea of how to foster a more critical understanding of the issues during decision-making is a worthwhile goal for all teams.
Perhaps attempting the six-page memo and silent reading on one critical issue would prove a valuable experiment. But whatever process leaders embrace for more rigorous and objective debate, the key is to find a path toward better decisions.
The quality of decisions at any organization most defines its long-term success. Would you care to read about that in silence and then discuss it?
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
