Culture

Corporate culture is so important to Zappos that they are ready to hire or “re based upon a set of 10 core values they set out.  This is the only company to my knowledge that pays new trainees $2,000 to quit, as a test of their commitment to the company early in their
career.

A favorite Zappos story of mine is the one when a Zappos’ rep took the initiative to send %owers to a customer a$er she found out that the reason the customer had returned a pair of shoes was that her husband had died a$er he ordered them. It is the kind of empowerment and trust bestowed upon the sta! at the grass root level that makes the brand great.

Needless to say, this is the kind of human touch that personi”es what a service industry is and should be all about. Compare this incident to the money Zappos would have spend on advertising. Which do you think would be more credible?

The truth is, we cannot control customer service, just like we cannot control what our kids are going to grow up to be. As a leader, we know all too well that staff act one way when they are being supervised, but act another way in our absence. It often surprises me when business owners do not understand why their staff performs poorly towards their customers, when their staff  is mistreated in the first place.

In a previous organisation I worked for, we were always reminded of the fact that “your organisation is only as strong as your weakest link”, citing the importance of consistency throughout the team and value of training in ensuring the very best of staff performance. When you hire a group of people and treat them with due respect, training and empowerment, there is really no need to use any carrots or sticks, just like the employees at Zappos.com.
Tony recently published his book Delivering Happiness that went straight to the top of the non-fiction chart at Amazon.com. If you want an in depth understanding of building company culture, look no further!

Zappos Core Value

1. Deliver Wow through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble