The memos that drive one of the most successful companies in the world.
According to Jeff Bezos, the key to his little bookstore’s success is high expectations that meet specific standards. “They are teachable, they are domain specific, you must recognize them, and you must explicitly coach realistic scope.” That, and no death by PowerPoint. No one is allowed to communicate their expectations or standards with slides. Ever. Instead, “Amazazonians” come to meetings with “narratively structured six-page memos,” which attendees read silently at the start of the meeting. Regular readers of this letter won't be surprised to note that memo writers are encouraged to engage peer reviewers, and to develop multiple drafts. It seems to work.
Article: What Amazon Learned by Having Employees Write Stories Instead of Doing PowerPoints
