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Zappos is Powered by The Empowerment of Employees

Yesterday I spoke at Zappos Insights Live, an inaugural conference that offered a unique opportunity to learn about the spirit and culture of Zappos through a two-day immersion program.

To say it was brilliant would be an understatement. And, I believe this is just the beginning.

It’s incredibly clear that Tony Hsieh doesn’t just profess his belief in happiness and service; his entire organization lives and breathes it in everything they do.

While Zappos the company is indeed “powered by service,” Zappos as represented by its hundreds of employees, is driven by dignity, personal and professional fulfillment, sincerity, empathy, and the aspiration of always being helpful to not only customers, but each other. At Zappos, employees are royalty. They’re encouraged to be themselves. They’re rewarded for adding personality to their job and responsibilities. They’re promoted for contributions and collaboration. It’s this empowerment that powers everything.

I’ll write about the culture of Zappos in another post and perhaps in my not-yet-announced book that I’m currently writing. To get an idea of what transpired at Zappos’ immersion camp, please read this post by Espree Devora who was one of the lucky 25 participants in Zappos Insights.

Follow @ZapposInsights to stay connected to what’s next #ZapposLive

I’ve included links to Zappos’ Core Values to plug you into the framework of the culture and guiding tenants that power the “service” in the Zappos paradigm.

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

The Zappos Experience as Told by Zappos Employees

Thank you to everyone at Zappos for making my visit so special and memorable!

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38 COMMENTS ON THIS POST To “Zappos is Powered by The Empowerment of Employees”

  1. Wow – thanks for the shout out. Much appreciation.

  2. amplify09 says:

    Dear Brian, for your yet-to-be named book on culture, you may also be interested to learn about an event similar to Zappos Insights that has been running since 2005 for the employees of AMP, one of Australia's oldest and largest Financial services companies. Is called AMPLIFY- an Innovation & Thought Leadership Festival that runs for several weeks spanning subjects way beyond core business, and integrating it with social media tools for employee participation especially in smaller regional areas, but likewise customers and the broader public also benefits from this sharing. The most recent AMPLIFY website can be viewed at http://www.amplify.amp.com.au and the blog is still active. You can read independent outsider perspectives on AMPLIFY here: http://bankervision.typepad.com/bankervision/20… and also here http://www.teradata.com/t/templates/blogs/ausnz

    If you' like to visit or participate in AMPLIFY in future, please feel free to write to the Founder and producer at amplify.amp.com.au or simply tweet me at @maverickwoman. Annalie Killian (http://www.facebook.com/annalie.killian

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