Posted By janice on June 9, 2010

When reading Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, two things come to mind. First, author and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh will never have to appear on Undercover Boss to find out what’s going on in his company. Secondly, it’s refreshing to hear talk about transparency, trust, and passion from a CEO who actually means and lives it.

Delivering Happiness is no ordinary business book. I hope it’s the beginning of a movement that Hsieh (pronounced Shay) spearheads.
Zappos company culture and Hsieh himself have become the stuff of legend in the business world. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy to review from the publisher, and it’s an interesting ride to follow Hsieh’s journey from grade school entrepreneur to Zappos CEO.

Hsieh’s jaw-dropping ambition and drive began at an early age when most of us were interested in recess and toys. A natural born entrepreneur, he was always interested in making money and creating a successful business. He was among the first dot.com millionaires with LinkExchange, which he and his partners later sold to Microsoft.

Hsieh chronicles his adventures, missteps, and successes in a breezy, matter-of-fact style. I was amazed at the risks he took with his businesses and how normal he made that kind of bravery sound. What would terrify and paralyze most people, Hsieh embraced and leaped.

In addition to gutsiness, Hsieh’s accomplishments centered around establishing strong tribes of friends and colleagues. His desire to be surrounded by a cohesive, supportive tribe led to the creation of Zappos transparent corporate culture. The company’s goal is to deliver happiness (and shoes always create happiness) and create WOW service, and the employees have the freedom to do that. Zappos employees and customers even have written some passages giving details and examples of the company’s core values.

While reading the book, I couldn’t help but think of BP and their oil spill response. I know nothing of how BP operates, but I wonder if they had a culture of trust and transparency like Zappos, would someone have had the courage to speak up about safety issues? Or what about the banks in crisis? Would we have had so many bailouts if banks had established the same kind of culture of respect, transparency, and service with their customers as Zappos did?

Hsieh wants to start a “Delivering Happiness” movement. In a time when employees have little trust in businesses, we need it. As companies, business owners, and employees rebuild after the recession, I hope more consider Hsieh’s advice and take a hard look at Zappos core values to create similar .ones of their own

Hsieh gives us a great deal to think about in his book. It’s important to point out that as a Gen Xer, Hsieh represents what many Gen Xers and Millennials also want in the work environment. As Baby Boomers continue to retire, Gen Xers will move into more leadership positions, and maybe Hsieh’s “Delivering Happiness” movement won’t be as difficult to move forward.

Note: The hardcover of Delivering Happiness landed in bookstores on June 7.

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