Zappos and Employee Engagement and Commitment

Last week, I blogged about Zappos.com.  If you recall, Zappos describes itself in a unique way: “We are a service company that happens to sell shoes.  And apparel. And handbags.  And accessories.  And eventually anything and everything.

Gerard Ramos sent me a copy of the Zappos 07 Culture Book.  In the foreword, Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO says, “In order for us to succeed as a service company, we need to create, maintain, and grow a culture where employees want to play a part in providing great service….As we grow as a company and hire new people, we need to make sure that they understand and become a part of our culture.”

If you recall, in my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations, I point out that all successful businesses and the people who lead them have four things in common.

• Successful businesses and the people who lead them develop and communicate a clarity or purpose and direction.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them engage the full commitment of everyone in the organization.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them skillfully execute the things that matter.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with important outside constituencies.

Tony Hsieh and the people who lead Zappos are doing a great job of engaging the full commitment of everyone in the Zappos organization.

I love the Zappos 07 Culture Book because every Zappos employee got a chance to say what they like about Zappos culture.

Jackie E, who works in Customer Loyalty, is good with anagrams.  She said

• Zealous
• Adventurous
• Positive
• People
• Offering
• Service

• Caring
• Understanding
• Listeners
• Truly
• Understand
• Real
• Embrace

Way to go, Jackie…

Ijeoma I, another Customer Loyalty worker is a man of few words.  He said, “Zappos.com is a cool place to work.”

John F, who works in Creative Services, showed off his creativity in a few haikus for his “fellow Zapponians”.  Here's one of them.

growing, growing, grow!
shoes, bags, sunglasses, watches
we will have it all

All of the other Zapponians contributed their thoughts on zappos culture to the 07 Culture Book. 

Tony Hsieh contributed too.  He says,

• “To me, the Zappos culture embodies many different elements.  It’s about always looking for ways to WOW everyone we come in contact with.  It’s about building relationships where we treat each other like family.  It’s about teamwork and having fun and not taking ourselves too seriously.  It’s about growth, both personal and professional.  It’s about achieving the impossible with fewer people.  It’s about openness, taking risks, and not being afraid to make being afraid to make mistakes.  But most of all, it’s about having faith that if we do the right thing, then in the long run we will succeed and build something great.”

If I were a little younger and just beginning my career, I might sign up to be a Zapponian myself.

The common sense point here is simple.  You know that you have a strong culture and a group of engaged and committed employees when you can get your employees to write a book expressing how they feel about your culture.  Watch out, Aamazon.com.  Here comes Zappos.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.SuccessCommonSense.com for common sense advice on becoming the career and life success you are meant to be and to get a copy of my new ebook Star Power: Common Sense Ideas for Career and Life Success.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.

Comments

[Ina Matijevic]

Refering that post Customer service:

Thanks for posting this!

As I learned on mistakes of other entrepreneurs, this is a great lesson how to not be an entrepreneur!

Have a lovely day, Mr. Bilanich!

[christian louboutin heels]

I always pay attentions on Tony Hsieh, i am his fun. I agree with him

[brian atwood pumps]

I keep the Zappos 2008 Culture Book in my Guest Bathroom on the "reading stand" because it's one of those things people just can't help but pick up and read... testimonials of everyone who works there, every year. Proof that, yeah, it really is that way.

[Agenda Software]

yeah i have learned about zippos as well. They have awesome website. ;0