Thanks to our friend Mark Harbeke with Winning Workplaces (a partner organization of The People Group), I became aware of a recent interview on The Colbert Report with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com From a financial perspective Mr. Hsieh and his company are very successful. Very successful. So successful that Amazon was willing to buy the company for $840 million. But more important than the money is how Zappos is getting there. This CEO is selling happiness – to customers and employees.
After reading the research on the psychology of people like you and me, he found it is in a company’s best interest to be concerned about happiness for the employee so the customer will be happy, and finally, the investor/owner will be happy. Check out this video.
Selling the importance of company culture to business titans is very difficult. Most CEOs think you are speaking a foreign language when you begin sharing how it is in their best interest to develop a positive company culture where employees are treated with trust and respect. That is why we hope you share this video with coworkers, leaders, decision-makers, and the CEOs of your companies. Put people first and profits will follow.
Our whole belief is that if we get the culture right, then most of the other stuff, like delivering great customer service or building a long term enduring brand, will happen naturally on its own. — Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com
