When it comes to buying shoes on the Internet, what’s the first online retailer that comes to mind?  For me, it’s Zappos. 

Sure the return policy, selection and often-free shipping are nice, but the personalized customer service is what really deliveres positive word-of-mouth buzz for this company. And with the debut of his new book “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose,” CEO Tom Hsieh continues to be the talk of the town.

I had the opportunity to hear Hsieh speak during last week’s “Super Genius” conference presented by Gas Pedal.  While he could have presented a typical sales case study on the company, Hsieh took a different approach to his keynote address by speaking about the Science of Happiness and the role happiness plays in one’s life — both personally and professionally.  He spoke about the importance of being adventurous, creative and open-minded, asking the audience “What would you be happy doing in 10 years? That’s what you should be doing now!”

From a business perspective, Hsieh noted that there are two main ingredients that make up great companies — 1) culture and 2) a higher purpose or vision.  With these two ingredients, other business elements such as great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand will happen naturally.  He stated that it doesn’t matter what your core values are as long as you commit to them.  Many companies have core values or guiding principles, but they tend to be lofty or read like a press release. Or in some cases, the values are shared during day-one orientation and never revisited throughout one’s career unless you pass by the plaque hanging on the conference room wall.  

For Zappos, Hsieh and his team created 10 committable core values.  These 10 values are principles that the company is willing to hire and fire people by based on whether they are living up to them, independent of their actual job performance.

When all is said and done, Hsieh’s business approach is smart.  It’s one that truly inspires passion and people and in turn delivers results!

Zappos Core Values:

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