The word peculiar did not formally become a part of my vocabulary until I worked for Amazon nearly twenty years ago. While I changed careers to become a counselor and have not worked for Amazon for ten years, the company left quite an impression on me, influenced my counseling and coaching approach, and defined who tends to benefit most from working with me.

The definition of peculiar

Merriam-Webster defines the word peculiar in two ways: “1) characteristic of one person, group, or thing and 2) different from the usual or normal”. Amazon’s beloved use of the word affectionately refers to both sides of this definition and captures the essence of the corporate culture and how the company works.

Amazon’s application of the word peculiar

Amazon often used the work peculiar in describing the working backwards from the customer approach, the ownership mindset, the data centricity, and the swift movement into action to learn and fail fast frugally. I frequently recall leaders explaining how the company operated differently or would go a different way from the norm necessarily carrying a consequence of being misunderstood by others. What I interpreted from this is going a different path could raise skepticism, judgement, doubt, or criticism that a company does not know what they are doing or may be fueled by egotism thinking they know better than everyone else. Their sights were not set on their competitors, although kept in their periphery. They were set on customers and creating new markets, products, and services. Their process was focused on the disruption necessary for transformation. This path may not have been without hard lessons, and it was in aiming for big things and learning from action that transformative growth became possible.

My peculiar path at Amazon

Over a collective 6 1/2 years, I experienced a lot of intensity but also felt like the world was my oyster. I had a chance to try four different functions (product management, program management, product marketing, and business development), four different teams (IMDb, Amazon Advertising, Amazon Digital Products, Global Vendor Management), and two different countries (US and UK). I reflect on this experience as just the right amount of change for someone who is a lifelong learner and embraces change, experimentation, and transformation. And I recognize this is not the pace or level of change for everyone, but it worked for me and many colleagues who stayed and evolved their own careers over the years. Amazonians referred to this as “general athletes”, and this approach created agility, clarity in ambiguity, tolerance for uncertainty, and resilience to bounce back, all of which is modeled and taught to clients in our work together.

Extension of the peculiar concept to the transformation process

What I learned along the way from Amazon is doing this intentionally involves an acceptance and expectation of this consequential misunderstanding. This allowed them to stay the course, try unthinkable things, and create long-term sustainable value for customers and shareholders. Coincidentally, this can be what counseling clients experience from others in their lives when making bold changes to live in accordance with their values and work to shed what no longer serves them. We can often be caught up in what others think about our transformation process and how it affects them. In reality, our transformation is not up to everyone else. It is up to each of us. This process does not come without gains and losses, so we as counselors need to carefully explore what a client is willing to give up in order to gain this level of change.

What my version of peculiar looks like in my practice

My version of peculiar is actually quite common for trained counselors and coaches, but it may feel foreign for those new to counseling and coaching or those in their lives. Inspired by my Amazon experience, I start with the client and work backwards. I inquire about a client’s envisioned transformation and encourage experimentation towards transformation outside of session. I celebrate major milestones along the way and recognize movement away from the safe harbor. I explore barriers to progress that may be getting in the way and share observations of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors working against transformation goals. When we reach the client’s initial end goals for transformation, I check in if a client feels ready to set sail on their own. Much like Amazon would only keep a product or service around assuming there is customer value, I do not encourage longer term dependence on therapy unless there is a clear therapeutic benefit to a client.

How to be peculiar as a client of Reinvention Space

Reinvention Space, PLLC exists to enable the personal, relational, and organizational transformation process. As the founder and lead practitioner of the business, I act as a lighthouse to illuminate a client’s inner wisdom and path and as an accountability partner to help clients do what they set out to process, heal, and transform. Clients are viewed as the authorities and authors of their lives, and they are given full power over what they will do or not do. It is a partnership where both the work and the growth belong to the client.