--- title: "Amazon: Lessons From Jeff Bezos’ Leadership Style" id: "16972" type: "post" slug: "amazon-lessons-from-jeff-bezos-leadership-style" published_at: "2013-04-15T22:39:24+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:04:06+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/15/amazon-lessons-from-jeff-bezos-leadership-style/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/15/amazon-lessons-from-jeff-bezos-leadership-style.md" excerpt: "How Amazon’s CEO puts his clients’ needs before what Amazon shareholders want. Also: Is it time for conference planning to get a facelift?" taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "C-suite" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Leadership" - "Relevance" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Amazon: Lessons From Jeff Bezos’ Leadership Style What’s the best way to place your members needs at the top of your priority list? Let everyone else know that that’s how things are done at your organization. That, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### Who’s The Boss > “Take a long-term view, and the interests of customers and shareholders align” [http://t.co/0utKmVSMUR (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/0utKmVSMUR) > [#leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/leadership?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Amith Nagarajan (@AmithNagarajan) [April 15, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AmithNagarajan/status/323849548126633984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Your association has plenty of people to please.** But who has the most influence among the influencers? Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently wrote [a letter to the company’s shareholders (opens in a new tab)](http://www.allthingsdistributed.com/files/2012-Shareholder-Letter.pdf) , reminding them that customers come first. [Joshua Brown of Business Insider (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-this-is-why-im-hot-2013-4) describes the letter as “a fantastic piece of mission statement-craft,” noting, “Proactively delighting customers earns trust,which earns more business from those customers, even in new business arenas. Take a long-term view, and the interests of customers and shareholders align.” How do you keep your focus squarely on you members? *(ht [@AmithNagarajan (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AmithNagarajan/status/323849548126633984) )* ### Reimagining Conferences https://twitter.com/JeniseFryatt/status/323836648938938369 **To stay relevant in the event-planning field,** you must constantly reinvent your conferences to align with industry changes. And change can happen quickly or gradually. “The pace of change is driven by external factors. It is not driven by strategic plans, visioning and goal-setting sessions, or sincere deliberations,” [Jeff Hurt of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting writes in his blog (opens in a new tab)](http://jeffhurtblog.com/2013/04/10/reinventing-reimagining-rethinking-traditional-conferences/) . “We have no control over the outcomes. We do have control over how we respond to disruptive innovation and whether we adapt and adopt some of the newness around us.” What strategies do you have for reinventing your events? *(ht [@JeniseFryatt (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/JeniseFryatt/status/323836648938938369) )* What links have you been sharing today? Let us know in the comments. (photo by jurvetson/Flickr) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Tags: [#C-suite](https://associationsnow.com/tag/c-suite/) [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Relevance](https://associationsnow.com/tag/relevance/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoRace for Relevance in A World Reshaped by COVID: An Authors’ TalkSeptember 8, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/08/race-for-relevance-in-a-world-reshaped-by-covid-an-authors-talk/) - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) - [VideoKathy Pabst, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/kathy-pabst-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoMessage from Adam Burke, President & CEO for Los Angeles TourismJune 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/18/message-from-adam-burke-president-ceo-for-los-angeles-tourism/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F04%2F15%2Famazon-lessons-from-jeff-bezos-leadership-style%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !