Jeff Bezos: 24 Rules Of Corporate Coolness
Jeff Cunningham
If you’re invited to meet with Jeff Bezos, always prepare to reach for a larger purpose. Not long ago, he met with his senior team to discuss the latest customer metrics, but typically, he hijacked the session to talk about something more interesting: why do customers fall in love with some companies and move away from others, as if they gave off an odor?
He attributed this tendency to something less measurable than customer service or product quality. A variety of factors come into play but, at the same time, it is a dimension unto itself.
It’s called corporate reputation or in BezosSpeak, corporate coolness.
“Capturing all the value only for the company is not cool.”
Companies do have some control over these attributes, although surmounting them depends on good information systems and a quick response to early warning signs. Companies like United Airlines, Uber, and Equifax are prime examples of what happens when that isn’t the case.
Bezos wrote down 24 reputation factors that can determine whether we let a company into our personal space or not. His thoughts could have been taken from Lincoln’s famous comment about public engagement:
“With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.” — Abraham Lincoln
The Jeff Bezos Coolness Hierarchy:
(source of Bezos’ memo: Brad Stone, The Everything Store)
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