Jeff Bezo is an Australian entrepreneur. His net worth is in excess of $2 billion. He is a strong believer in free market capitalism, and is very popular with Tea Party members, and other right-leaning, small-government thinkers. He is a strong backer of the United States Military, and is a strong critic of big government. Many of his articles are focused on his belief that we live in a “Hippieopia”, where all values are optional, and everyone is a moral witness to the greatness of the human spirit.
When discussing the ability of Amazon to re-invent the wheel and make money for centuries, and create a niche for itself, Jeff Bezo often speaks as though our current paradigm is flawed, and nothing special in existence. Indeed, I personally do not believe that our current tax structure is broken or needs to be fixed. I also do not believe in redistribution and indeed am rather opposed to taxation myself, as I see it as a giant waste of money. But one thing I do agree with him on, is his belief that we live in a “ecaology” based on Darwinism, and the concept that our species is a survival gene, and nothing more. And that we have evolved away from anything more basic in order to survive the challenges of life.
The fact that Amazon founder and owner Jeff Bezos do not believe in evolution, and believes in the “re-inventing the wheel” is very revealing, and shows the true definition of leadership, and innovation. I often speak and write of the need for re-inventing the wheel, or taking a new direction in order to excel at something. This is just another way of saying that leaders must be willing to re-invent, rethink, and take risks in order to excel. I often quote Yogi Berra when he said; “If you don’t try something risky, you’re never going to learn how to do it.” Now I wonder why Mr. Bezos does not apply this simple logic to his business, and his vision for the future. Is he too anxious to stick with what has worked in the past, or what he thinks is a better model?
We need a re-inventing history for the company that is now run by two billionaires, one a billionaire, and one with his personal wealth backing him. Jeff Bezos clearly has his mind set on re-inventing the wheel, and that is exactly what his leadership style is all about. If he had started his business with a bang and had started it in a new industry with relatively few competitors, and had not yet acquired his own stake in the company, I believe there may have been more change and innovation within the company. Unfortunately, Mr. Bezos has not yet started his venture into the unknown and thus far has not taken a risk.
My suggestion is for both of them to take a risk, re-inventing history, and changing their focus to something more innovative and exciting. It may not happen overnight, but the re-inventing history will make all the difference in the world come what may in the future. I sincerely hope you will consider all this and think on it. There is only one way for Amazon to go and that is ahead of everyone else.
What’s your best solution for Amazon? Start your business with a bang, and change the face of the company with a fresh and unique approach. You’ll be glad you did, and so will they. Why reinvent the wheel, when you can do it faster with the proven approach of re-inventing history? Consider all this in 2021.
