Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said a good attitude and willingness to learn are important attributes for professionals looking to succeed in their careers.
"I think an embarrassing amount of how well you do, particularly in your 20s, has to do with attitude," Jassy told LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky in a video interview published last week. "Do you work hard? Are you more can do than naysaying? Do you do what you said you were gonna do? Can you work on a team?"
He said having a "great" attitude at work "makes a big difference" and is "very controllable," arguing it can help with finding professional mentors and supporters more easily.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy during the GeekWire Summit in Seattle on Oct. 5, 2021. (Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Being an "incredibly ravenous learner" can also give people a leg up, Jassy told Roslansky.
"I think that the biggest difference between the people I started with in the early stages in my career and what they’re doing now, has to do with how great they were at learning," the Amazon CEO said.
The comments came in response to a career advice question Roslansky asked as part of a wide-ranging interview about Jassy’s career.