Problem Solving and Innovation with ChatGPT -- The Amazon Way

5 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Propel your ability to solve problems & innovate with the Amazon working backwards approach and leadership principles. AI prompts included.

Problem Solving and Innovation with ChatGPT -- The Amazon Way

5 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Propel your ability to solve problems & innovate with the Amazon working backwards approach and leadership principles. AI prompts included.

Hosted by

John Rossman

Early Amazon exec, 4x author, innovation advisor T-Mobile and Gates Foundation

John Rossman

Early Amazon exec, 4x author, innovation advisor T-Mobile and Gates Foundation

Course overview

Solve wicked problems, innovate, create value. Propel your career & business.

Leveraging many of the Amazon problem solving and innovation techniques, we are going to learn and practice how to solve hard business problems.

We will leverage generative AI and provide prompts... but the focus is on the critical thinking and leadership skills to drive change. AI can help...but it can't think or lead (at least yet).

We go beyond the Amazon working backwards basics and discuss the communication, culture and leadership approaches to successfully drive change.

Class includes four hours of instruction and an hour one-on-one with John on your innovation concept.

Bring your hard business problems and innovation concepts...because we are going to learn by doing.

About John Rossman

John Rossman is an early Amazon executive who launched the Marketplace business in 2002.

He is the author of three books including the best sellers The Amazon Way and Think Like Amazon.

He is a keynote speaker and advisor. (www.johnrossman.com)

He writes The Digital Leader Newsletter (https://thedigitalleader.substack.com/)

He was a partner at Arthur Andersen and Alvarez and Marsal. He has served as an interim leader at several companies.

He has served as the Senior Technology Advisor at the Gates Foundation & Senior Innovation Advisor at T-Mobile.

Who is this course for

Managers and individual contributors at large enterprises. Senior management at small companies. Startup leaders.

You want to become a leader who knows how to drive problem solving and innovation. How we communicate and collaborate is key!

Generative AI can help us be better problem solvers and accelerate us to success...but it cannot do the thinking for you. Prompts provided!

Managers and individual contributors at large enterprises. Senior management at small companies. Startup leaders.

You want to become a leader who knows how to drive problem solving and innovation. How we communicate and collaborate is key!

Generative AI can help us be better problem solvers and accelerate us to success...but it cannot do the thinking for you. Prompts provided!

What you’ll get out of this course

Problem solving techniques

Leverage customer centricity, jobs-to-be-done, problem reframing and other problem-space approaches to become a master at problem definition and analysis.

Remember -- "A problem well stated is a problem half solved" — John Dewey

Ideation Approaches

Wicked problems, which are multisided, complex and not easily solved, require creative and multi-leveled approaches.

Solving hard problems, true innovation, takes the consideration of many potential ideas.

Learn how to create better ideas.

Apply Amazon's Working Backwards Techniques

We will leverage an adapted version of Amazon's working backwards approaches. This includes not just the Future Press Release and FAQ's (PRFAQ) but a better way to explore the problem and using narratives to think, debate and create clarity.

Apply Generative AI

I'll show you how to accelerate your progress using ChatGPT. Custom prompts to help ideate, think through alternatives, write compelling approaches, leverage frameworks. But in the end, we must improve our thinking...ChatGPT just helps.

End with a Plan

You will do more than build skills. You'll end with a plan on how to solve a hard problem and innovate in your business.

More Than Instruction -- 1 on 1 Coaching and Advising

In addition to the two cohort sessions, you get one-on-one coaching & consultation with John Rossman. Let's build not just a great concept, but a communication and leadership plan to involve others.

What people are saying

In The Amazon Way, John Rossman brilliantly illuminates Amazon's secretive corporate culture, using his rare insider's perspective to show how Jeff Bezos has created unique systems that facilitate good decision making at all levels of his company

Brad Stone

Author of The Everything Store and Amazon Unbound

John delivers with incredible energy, insights and techniques. He is a world-class problem solver and advisor!

Manny Bernabe

CEO of Bigplasma.ai

You won't find a better problem solver or innovation advisor than John Rossman. He did an incredible job at guiding our innovation program at T-Mobile.

Kevin McCaffrey

Google Director; Former T-Mobile Director & McKinsey Consultant

Reading Think Like Amazon is like having Jeff Bezos advise me. This is the best strategy and tactics book I have read in a long time.

Eric Martinez

CEO of Modjoul; former EVP at AIG

Meet your instructor

John Rossman

Author, Keynote Speaker, Advisor -- Problem Solver

John Rossman is the author of three books on leadership and business innovation including the best seller The Amazon Way. He is an early Amazon executive who played a key role in launching the Amazon marketplace business in 2002.

Today he is a leading keynote speaker on leadership for innovation and transformation. John is an operator and builder whose love is diving into business problems and customer needs designing innovative solutions and business models, and creating durable enterprise value.

John is the founder of Rossman Partners, a leadership development, coaching and advisor solutions company.

He is often joined by his French Bulldog, Bossman.

John has a new book being released 2/27/24 -- Big Bet Leadership: Your Transformation Playbook for Winning in the Hyper-Digital Era. Get a free Kindle version at release at www.bigbetleadership.com

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Problem Solving and Innovation with ChatGPT -- The Amazon Way

Get reimbursed Bulk purchases

Course syllabus

What Sucks? -- Problem Formulation

Leveraging customer obsession, jobs-to-be done analysis and Rossman's "What Sucks?" analysis, we dive deep into the problem space.

We cover how "simplification" is the hardest and most important path to driving true innovation and problems.

We will demonstrate how ChatGPT can be used to complement problem understanding and customer centricity.

What's The Future? -- Concept Development

Leveraging "working backwards" with ChatGPT, we will build your concept and experimentation plan.

But more...bringing others along is critical. How you communicate, how you set expectations, how you lead makes the difference in actually creating value.

Let's Get Real -- Pressure Test Your Concept 1-on-1

You'll provide John your material and then we will review, pose alternatives, THINK BIG, uncover the below-the-waterline risks which can sink concepts.

We will take the hour to improve and solidify your plan. You schedule the hour on my calendar.

Course schedule

2 classes - 2 hours each; 1 hour 1-on-1

Friday cohort & Saturday cohort
9 AM - 11: AM EST
There are two cohorts -- a Friday morning cohort and a Saturday morning cohort.

Friday: 12/1 & 12/8
Saturday: 12/2 & 12/9

You can attend either giving you flexibility.
Weekly projects
2 hours per week
Like most things, you'll get out of this what you put into it. Plan on at least two hours per week of work to develop your brilliant concept.
One-on-One Consultation
One Hour
You'll schedule dedicated time with John to discuss the problem, innovation and plan you've developed.