Deliver Happiness

...UPDATE

The world has lost one of its truly amazing souls. Yet another reason to hate 2020, Tony Hsieh lost his life after complications from a house fire. He left a legacy that cannot be forgotten. 

Who was Tony Hsieh? 

In 1999, at the age of 24, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO, where he helped Zappos grow from almost no sales in 1999 to the multi-billion dollar company it is today. Tony currently lives in an Airstream on half a city block right in the middle of downtown Vegas, with his dog Blizzy and pet alpaca who enjoys hanging out by the campfire every night.

RIP Tony

It’s not very often I’m speechless, but after visiting the amazing business that is Zappos, I was lost for words… for a few minutes anyway! I’ve read about them, I’ve posted about them, and I’ve spoken about them at conferences and seminars, but to ‘experience’ them was unforgettable! We visited their Las Vegas HQ on Friday and were completely blown away by their approach to doing business, and it’s all about (surprise, surprise!)….. Culture!

Zappos culture = holding the door open for someone, helping out on the phones during the holidays, 1500 employees embracing the downtown move, wearing a costume on a Wednesday for the hell of it, wrapping an entire team’s desks in plastic wrap, having a meeting in a bedazzled spaceship, calling your coworkers family, taking a 'Science of Happiness' ... The list goes on and on b/c this company is always changing; however, the culture stays tried-and-true.

Game-ification working

Co-workers can bonus colleagues $50 through the reward and recognition program. They recognize those who ‘commit’ to the business. You are ‘formally’ presented with your blue ‘Name Plate’ once you are a ‘full time employee (it looks like a registration plate) and other ‘presentations’ come on different anniversaries.

Zollars is the internal Zappos currency that can be spent on all sorts of things that can used to ‘wow’ colleagues who’ve done something special. (Zappos Value: ‘Embrace and drive change’)

There are lots of ways of rewarding and recognizing people who ‘contribute’ to the culture. For example, from promoting people who work in the canteen into the core business - to giving a young member of the team, Miguel Hernandez, who is an artist a chance to decorate parts of Zappos HQ and ‘pushing him’ into other businesses including Disney to fulfill his dream and become a ‘professional artist’! (Zappos Value: ‘Pursue growth and learning’)

Zappos culture is contagious. It’s something that you feel the second you walk through the door and sticks with you long after you leave. You’d really have to try to NOT be in a good mood at work, and that’s what makes it such a fun place to work. The culture at Zappos just comes naturally. I love being able to work in an environment where you don’t have to try to make relationships, they just happen.

It Works!  Call POSER ☎️