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Design and Deliver Happiness
January 12, 2013
The all around good time, right livelihood, and value vibe created by Zappos is a result of excellent design. The products we buy from Zappos are of high quality. What is perhaps more important is that they are steering capitalism in a healthy direction by upgrading the way business is designed. Feudalism, slavery, share cropping and all other adverse forms of employment feature happiness for shareholders only. This short-sighted vision produces more unhappy servants of the apparently happy owners of companies than it does loyal customers. With the contentment quotient working in reverse, quality, innovation, and value erode and vanish. I think this erosion is occurring in the public service sector. If Vets kill themselves there is a clear indication that something essential is missing in the overall design of our public business.
How can we make the business of government switch from a stagnant vessel of inefficient service to a lean mean contentment machine? Are there ways to practice the Zap happy values in public service and politics?
- Deliver WOW Through Service
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
- Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Pursue Growth and Learning
- Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Do More With Less
- Be Passionate and Determined
- Be Humble
I do see a little weirdness, but far too little. The WOW Through Service is just not happening. Imagine the government being passionate to do more with less, or be humble. These core values are created for the benefit of all. Happiness compounds daily, as does negligence. My dream government applies these guiding principles to create a better world. Imagine, gentle reader, a government that makes us as happy as Zappos does, all while being creative and open minded. We can dream.
Tony Hsieh
September 16, 2012
Tony Hsieh of Zappos
On my recent tour of Zappos headquarters in Henderson NV I was treated to a glimpse of Tony Hsieh himself. As I departed with my shuttle driver for the ride back to town he was entering the building I was exiting. I stared for a moment to make sure he was himself. I had a fleeting question in my mind about the possibility that a hologram of Tony is somehow implanted into each person’s visit, but they are all prerecorded and projected on a green screen or something. He was low key, in jeans, and moving along with purpose. He did have the presence of mind not to be sitting in his desk when the tour comes along, but I was very excited to see him. It is hard to describe the way I think of his celebrity and my connection to it. I have been a shoe lover forever, but this is so much more than just shoes.
I admire him for his mastery of alchemy in capitalism. I admire his good taste and his smart choices. Moving the headquarters to the former Las Vegas City Hall is an example of upcycling that makes my heart beat faster. He has a strong agenda to grow his culture and provide right livelihood for his employees. The company and all of the customers who shop there are the major lucky beneficiaries of his vision of business. I love the way they completely make obvious how the culture works, how it remains strong, and how it serves all involved.
Zappos, the Zenith of Capitalism
September 14, 2012
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Zappos headquarters
Rasta office humor
At different times in history humans have taken giant leaps that transformed the world quickly and forever. We look at the printing press, the industrial revolution, and the digital age as big new waves of change. We tested the theory of capitalism against the theory of Marxism. Societies languished in state capitalism ( a la USSR) and never created the utopia they attempted. Greed and corruption have triumphed in many cases, while workers have been disempowered. The unrest and ignorance that spreads can be exasperating. I have some very good news, gentle readers. There is hope that systems of excellent good will and happiness can be created from pure capitalism. I have seen with my own eyes the purposeful and systematic creation of happiness. It is not a surprise to me that pure happiness is created by the mastery of a refined, balanced and efficient way to enchant customers. Providing the perfect footwear and more for each person and on every occasion is done purposefully. Zappos is truly the happiest place on earth. The employees practice happiness in themselves, to each other, and always with the customer.
Offering employees support and coaching for both personal and company goals includes them all in a feeling of belonging to a happy group. The work environment is as unstructured as possible, but completely measured and analyzed. If a worker wants to take one of the ongoing classes, the schedule is altered if possible and the training is placed on the schedule. The same is true if an employee wants to take advantage of the personal coach, or the entire training department available for a review or update on the company training that may be needed. At the busiest times, all employees pitch in and answer phones. They all have the current training and they all live by the core values, or they will not stay at Zappos. Statistics are posted on boards to make all aware of the rate of success. When they break a previous record for sales in one day, everyone in the company is given a commemorative t shirt. Chances are that almost everyone was very busy cross training to reach that new one day goal, so they share the glory. In fact, I think the big secret is that they share the glory. They also share great benefits and fairly unlimited ability to be promoted within the company.
The core values run the company, and the people benefit from the purity of the core values. The happy clients and the happy customer service aces share the beauty of the efficient ,well defined way to do business. I always knew heaven would include a super selection of shoes.
Zappos office
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