To earn trust, follow these steps, says Amazon CEO.

Building a successful career relies on earning the trust of your boss and your colleagues.

Jeff Bezos emphasized the importance of earning trust as a leader in Amazon's list of 16 leadership principles. However, according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who took over as CEO in 2020, this guideline is often misunderstood.

Jassy clarified in a video posted online by Amazon earlier this month that they sometimes mistake being nice to one another, having social cohesion, or not challenging each other in meetings for what they actually mean.

Jassy emphasizes that earning the trust of others is not just about being complacent and avoiding confrontation when you disagree with someone, or about hiding your own errors.

"To earn trust, one must be honest, authentic, straightforward, listen intently but challenge respectfully if disagreeing, and then deliver what was promised. Jassy emphasized this by stating, "If you want to earn trust, you must deliver on your promises and be self-critical if something you own is not going well.""

Bezos emphasizes the importance of speaking candidly and being vocally self-critical in Amazon's list of leadership principles.

According to Jassy and Bezos, being candid, even if you disagree with someone, demonstrates honesty and consideration. Additionally, admitting your mistakes and proposing robust solutions exhibits humility, integrity, and bravery, which helps establish trust among leaders, studies indicate.

In the early 2000s, Jassy led Amazon's marketing team and presented a 220-slide PowerPoint operating plan to Bezos and other executives during a six-hour meeting.

"Jeff interrupts me about 10 slides in and says my numbers are wrong on that slide. I was taken aback," Jassy said.

Jassy realized that Bezos was correct after he "dissected" the numbers on the slide.

"Embarrassed, I acknowledged the error in the numbers and said, "You're right, those numbers are incorrect." He then questioned the credibility of the entire presentation due to the mistake."

Jassy admitted to Bezos that the 210 slides were error-free and called the situation a "good learning experience."

Instead of becoming angry at Bezos for criticizing him publicly, Jassy viewed the situation as a chance to demonstrate his humility and willingness to learn and improve in the future. These qualities helped establish trust, and eventually, Bezos promoted Jassy to one of his top advisors and later named him as his successor as CEO.

"Jassy stated that she was not resentful or angry towards Jeff for pointing out the issue. Instead, she learned a valuable lesson about the importance of diving deep and taking ownership of the details in presentations. By owning up to her mistakes, being self-critical, and improving her presentation skills, Jassy earned the trust of her audience."

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