I want to work for Tony Hsieh!
I really do!
I just finished his book, “Delivering Happiness, A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose,” and I couldn’t put it down. From the beginning, Tony Hsieh and his partners were determined to build a profitable company— Zappos.com— on old fashioned values that today seem almost “out of fashion.”
Imagine founding a company whose core values include:
- Deliver WOW through service
- Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
- Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
I love this and it’s exactly how I think about building my business.
Here are a few more gems:
“We believe that inside every employee is more potential than even the employee himself/herself realizes.”
“The role of a manager is to remove obstacles and enable his/her direct reports to succeed. This means the best leaders are servant-leaders. They serve those they lead.”
In response to Amazon forming a partnership (July, 2009) with Zappos, Hseih said:
“Getting married to Amazon will allow us to fulfill our vision of delivering happiness to the world that much faster.”
Imagine that! A company whose vision is to deliver happiness to the world! Wow!
What is truly impressive is that Zappos is now one of the most financially successful companies on the planet and CEO Tony Hsieh is a billionaire. Integrity and keeping an eye on the greater good for all concerned has been their ticket to building their dream company.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because I think it is absolutely possible to do work (and making money doing it) that is meaningful, fun, and helps to make our world just a little bit better. I hope that this describes your current situation. (If it doesn’t, I’d love to speak with you!)
Do you know of a company or business whose path to “passion, profits, and purpose” is to do great work by placing a supreme value on its staff and customers combined with innovative business strategies? Are you an entrepreneur or business owner who has chosen this path? If so, please share your story here and indicate if I may share it elsewhere.
Thank you!
(photo credit: Businessweek)
