How you can also use a method that launches billion-dollar ideas to launch your next role
18 months into a role at Amazon, I was… bored.
I’d blown past my goals.
But the day-to-day felt eerily familiar — the same responsibilities I’d had years earlier as a before becoming a partner at a consulting firm.
I didn’t want to coast.
I wanted to grow.
So, I treated my career like Amazon approaches a new, innovative product launch.
Step 1: Think Like Amazon
Amazon’s “working backwards” method starts with the customer — then works back to the product.
In my case: I was the product. My “customers” were my future stakeholders.
I asked myself:
· Who do I want to serve in 3–5 years?
· What can I deliver that no one else can?
· How will people feel after working with me?
Step 2: Write MY Future Press Release
I wrote a PRFAQ (Press Release and Frequently Asked Questions) — the same tool Amazon uses to greenlight billion-dollar, innovative bets — but this time it was to innovate for and ‘bet’ on my career.
Why a PRFAQ? When a product idea is transformed into a narrative document using the PRFAQ format, you begin to notice flaws in many ideas. Some lack a large enough market to justify the effort, while others fail to provide a real advantage—being better, faster, or cheaper than the competition. Some also have too many unanswered questions or unresolved problems. Ideas with these issues are typically set aside.
The same applies and should be done for your career.
The headline?
Howard Steinman Named Chief Growth Officer for Amazon Professional Services Federal Civilian Practice.
The narrative spelled out:
· The transformation I led.
· Measurable growth results.
· Quotes from “future” leaders and peers about my impact.
Step 3: Build the FAQ
I tackled the tough questions:
· Why now? Why this role mattered for Amazon’s growth.
· Why me? The skills, track record, and leadership principles I brought.
· Risks: My gaps and how I’d close them.
· Mechanisms: The systems I’d put in place to deliver.
Step 4: Prove It with Amazon’s Leadership Principles
Amazon's Leadership Principles are a set of 16 guiding philosophies that shape the company's culture and decision-making processes. I incorporated real examples into my PRFAQ.
· Customer Obsession: How I’d drive client impact in new ways.
· Invent & Simplify: Growth models we’d never tried before.
· Deliver Results: Data to prove I could deliver.
Step 5: Launch “Future Me”
I turned the PRFAQ into a six-page Amazon document — the gold standard for pitching ideas internally. (It's refreshing that Amazon avoids PowerPoint slides, especially when making data-driven decisions).
Then I pitched it to my leadership.
Within weeks, they approved a brand-new role for me.
One I had literally written into existence.
Lesson: You can wait for your next role to appear — or you can write it into existence using the same innovation tools Amazon uses to launch its biggest ideas.
If you’re ready to take the bold step to create YOUR compelling career vision, click here to schedule a complimentary call with me. Let’s design the launch plan for “Future You!”