Your success depends on this skill as per Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, not hard work

If you have the right attitude at work you should be able to confidently answer “yes” to these questions, according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that way to get ahead at work is not being a fast learner or being the smartest. The secret to success at work is having a positive attitude, he said, sharing the “best career advice” in a new interview with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. Andy Jassy became the CEO of the company after Jeff Bezos stepped down in 2021.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy took the top job at the company after Jeff Bezos stepped down in 2021

“I think an embarrassing amount of how well you do, particularly in your 20s, has to do with attitude,” he said, adding that if you have the right attitude at work you should be able to confidently answer “yes” to these questions.

The questions are: “Do you work hard? Are you more can-do than naysaying? Do you do what you said you were going to do? Can you work in a team?”

“People would be surprised [at] how infrequently people have great attitudes,” he said, adding, “I think it makes a big difference.”

Focussing on the positive aspects of the job is very important, he said, reflecting, “I just figured if it wasn’t something that worked out either for Jeff or for me if I tried it a few months, I could always try something else, but if it did work out, I hadn’t ever heard of another job like this. And it was just an incredible experience.”

Amazon’s leadership came under fire for its treatment of warehouse employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. On this, Andy Jassy had previously said that the company could improve its treatment of employees. He said, “I think if you have a large group of people like we do … it’s almost like a small country. There are lots of things you could do better.”