Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

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Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 9,099 ratings · 830 reviews

You want to learn about the path that we took at Zappos to get to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in less than ten years. You want to learn about the path I took that eventually led me to Zappos, and the lessons I learned along the way. You want to learn from all the mistakes we made at Zappos over the years so that your business can avoid making some of the sam...more

Hardcover, 246 pages

Published June 7th 2010 by Business Plus (first published January 1st 2010)

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Aug 08, 2012 Randel rated it 5 of 5 stars

key takeaways
- you should never outsource your core competencies
- like poker, picking the right table is crucial
- what separated the great companies from the good is that they have a bigger vision and purpose and it's not about the money for them
- focus on your current customers (the 1000), cut down on marketing budget
- in the long run, the little things that keep the customer in mind will end up paying huge dividends
- customer service is the whole company, not just a department
- ask anything c...more

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Apr 18, 2013 metralindol rated it 4 of 5 stars

ще одна книжка з низки радше практичних, аніж "літературних". і, тим не менше, у ній таки сидить муза. вона уникає повчань чи "тикань" з кожної сторінки. вона - як серіал "друзі" з усіма недоліками і класнощами емоційного плану, гг. адже створити міцнезну корпоративну культуру в іще молодій компанії, зростання якої навіть попри глобальні кризи виявило неймовірні темпи, написати книгу і породити цілий рух, який нині продовжує підживлювати тисячі молодих бізнесів? ого. це як суперзум чи googlemaps...more ще одна книжка з низки радше практичних, аніж "літературних". і, тим не менше, у ній таки сидить муза. вона уникає повчань чи "тикань" з кожної сторінки. вона - як серіал "друзі" з усіма недоліками і класнощами емоційного плану, гг. адже створити міцнезну корпоративну культуру в іще молодій компанії, зростання якої навіть попри глобальні кризи виявило неймовірні темпи, написати книгу і породити цілий рух, який нині продовжує підживлювати тисячі молодих бізнесів? ого. це як суперзум чи googlemaps з калейдоскопічним розширенням горизонтів від масштабу села пісківка до континентального.
на старті "delivering happiness" захоплює барвистою історією крізь окуляр спогадів і далі вже не відпускає ні охочих почитати про створення, вирощування і квітнення власного бізнесу, ні шукачів енергетичного копнячка бадьорливої дії, ні поціновувачів питань стратегії і живих прикладів непопулярних у "класичному" ("пересічному"?) бізнесі глобальних, гуманістичних ідей. принаймні так мені здається: книжка геть-чисто змітає байдужість. зрештою, чого-чого, а чесного, відкритого і спрямованого на людину без усіляких підтестів бізнесу - саме в такому нерозривному поєданні й дуже-дуже некорпоративному сенсі - у нас, певно, немає. і поки ми намагаємось наздогнати вже стишені брижі фарватеру американської економічної історії (чи не часів іще громадянської війни) - в реальному часі на обширах від кентуккі до невади перемогу за перемогою здобуває людське ставлення в обох напрямах - і щодо клієнта, і щодо персоналу компанії. чи застанемо хоч якесь коливання, поки допливемо, америко?(less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Reid rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I was already pretty familiar with many of the more unique aspects of Zappos' customer service-oriented culture, which may be why I wasn't blown away by this abbreviated history of the company. Hsieh front-loads the reader right off the bat by warning you that the book is a vague autobiography and company history and business manifesto, but it still feels like it glosses over all three. The most interesting revelations about Zappos' founding and development was how close Zappos (and Hsieh himsel...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Ryan Kent rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nice and honest account of Tony Hsieh's history. I'm not sure how much of his success I account for his 'genius', or simply his being in the right place at the right time. I wonder if his devotion to Zappos was really based on his gut instinct that the company would succeed, or if that is a story he has told himself to cover the fact that he was simply desperate to have it work since all of the other efforts he had funded had failed and he had wasted his riches on partying and 'finding himself'....more

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Mar 14, 2013 Engputer Young rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a fascinating book that made me and my employees quit from Ingle Games, a stupid leader with awful decisions making.

We want to do things that can make us proud.

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Mar 17, 2013 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, non-fiction, memoir

Wow, I loved this book! I've probably had it since it first came out in 2010, but finally decided to try the first chapter since I've been reading a lot of fiction lately and thought it was time for some non-fiction. I was surprised that it immediately became hard to put down. The first part is mostly autobiographical, and Tony Hsieh shares several enjoyable and humorous stories about various entrepreneurial enterprises he got involved in in his youth to make money. He also covers starting LinkE...more Wow, I loved this book! I've probably had it since it first came out in 2010, but finally decided to try the first chapter since I've been reading a lot of fiction lately and thought it was time for some non-fiction. I was surprised that it immediately became hard to put down. The first part is mostly autobiographical, and Tony Hsieh shares several enjoyable and humorous stories about various entrepreneurial enterprises he got involved in in his youth to make money. He also covers starting LinkExchange with his friend Sanjay, which eventually sold to Microsoft for $265 million. This early internet success story was interesting by itself. I enjoyed seeing how his focus changed from making money and working less to being much more interested in building a company whose culture and core values aligns with his own.

The latter part of the book covers Zappos and how it started, then grew into the company it is today. The part that covers the early days and numerous challenges the company faced to stay in business was very suspenseful, even though I knew the outcome. There is a lot of emphasis on the core values of the company and how those came about. I particularly enjoyed the personal stories from employees that were included to go along with each of the core values. My one nitpick here is that at some point, Nick Swinmurn, the original founder of Zappos just drops out of the story with no explanation. It seems Swinmurn left in 2006, but it was odd that this wasn't even mentioned in Hsieh's book.

I love Zappos and have been a long time customer. In addition to finally finding a retailer where I can find pretty much any shoe or boot I want in my small size 5, I have experienced first hand the great customer service individual employees provide. For example, I've often been upgraded to faster shipping for individual orders, but a few years ago, a customer service rep made me a VIP (always free overnight shipping!) when I called to let them know I had accidentally returned a shoe box without checking to make sure the shoes were in it (they weren't-oops!). She got a good laugh (was I really the first person who did this?), but provided clear instructions on how to return the actual shoes and she made me a VIP customer at the same time. I was surprised and delighted that a mistake led to such a positive experience and outcome. But that positive experience and others have made me a loyal customer and also led to much of this book feeling very believable rather than thinking the stories and anecdotes were too good to be true.

Maybe the warm fuzzy feelings I have for Zappos as a company/brand are part of the reason I enjoyed the book, but whatever the reason, I found it positive and personally inspiring. I would love to work for a company like Zappos because their core values ring true for me, but I came away from the book with the feeling that some of the ideas can be applied in my own personal ways in any job I might have, either now or in the future.(less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Al Argo rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Identify and Implement Your Core Values!"*

Over the weekend I finished reading a book titled "Delivering Happiness" by Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh

It's a great read for anyone is sales, leadership, small business or e-commerce.

One interesting observation is Tony’s focus on the development of the Zappo’s core values which of course drives the company culture.

Starting with a list of about 50 possible values they narrowed their list down to the following 10 values.

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embr...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-business

Zappos is one of my favorite companies alongside Amazon and Target. And as one of Zappos' customers I received this book free-of-charge when it was released sometime in 2010. It sat in my library for some time until recently when I decided to rejuvenate the business-side of my life.

So, the book was not particularly well written, but for a biography it was okay. You can tell that the author, Tony Hsieh (and owner of Zappos), is very open and honest which is an admirable quality. I thought that t...more Zappos is one of my favorite companies alongside Amazon and Target. And as one of Zappos' customers I received this book free-of-charge when it was released sometime in 2010. It sat in my library for some time until recently when I decided to rejuvenate the business-side of my life.

So, the book was not particularly well written, but for a biography it was okay. You can tell that the author, Tony Hsieh (and owner of Zappos), is very open and honest which is an admirable quality. I thought that the best part of the book came at the very end where he talked about 'happiness'. I like studying the idea of measuring happiness and I'm always intrigued with what other people think about how to maintain being in the 'zone' of happiness. But in all honesty, I skimmed a lot of the book (particularly at the beginning) because it was too chatty.

There were a few interesting things that stood out for me:
- Zappos' level of transparency. Everything is 'out there'. If an employee is curious, all they have to do is ask. Pretty cool.
- Zappos' culture seems really great, however I would imagine that it's not for everyone, particularly if someone is used to working in a traditional environment.
- I liked that they established a library of their employees' favorite books and then offered classes to other employees about these books -- I suspect mini-workshops. I would LOVE that.
-I liked how they talked about honing in on their core values and their brand of customer service. And I LOVE that it's easy to contact a live person at Zappos. There's nothing more irritating than to contact a company when you've got a question and to sit 'on hold' for 20 minutes and then reach a call center in a foreign country where you can't understand the person and they're reading from a script. Yuck! So, good job Zappos.

Would I recommend this particulr book? Probably not. I would, however, recommend Zappos.com. I've always been "wowed" with their customer service ... I've never been disappointed. While I don't buy ALL our shoes at Zappos, I would say probably 80% of our shoes sales are fulfilled at Zappos.
(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 C.interruptus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: auto-biography, ideas, non-fiction, business

I knew that Zappos was a highly recommended online shoe retailer when I picked this up, but that's it. Wasn't expecting much, and my eyebrows went up at the idea that getting shoes delivered by mail = happiness (not directed at anybody in particular except the emotionally damaging hoarder in my life). Plus, Hsieh admits right off the bat that neither writing nor voice acting is his strong suit. However! His book is decently written, the story and the ideas are interesting, and his narration was...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book. It start off with Tony's back story from University to Link Exchange and eventually Zappos. Its a great journey riding the highs and lows with Tony. Whilst I've never shopped there (despite being an Amazon regular), Zappos really does sound like an amazing company both to shop with and to work for. I liked the way they arrived at their company values and how employees that fit the values are more important than the otherwise "right" employees. Its a really down to Earth book...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Ronaldo Ricioli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010

Depois de longo tempo sem escrever sobre minhas leituras, retorno com este livro fantástico do CEO da Zappos Tony Hsieh. Em Delivering Happiness “A Path to profits, passion, and purpose” o autor procura escrever da mesma forma como fala sua história de sucesso como empreendedor, utilizando como personagem principal o site de e-commerce Zappos.

O livro é apoixonante, linha claras e diretas, ótimo ritmo, histórias interessantes e inspiradores, Tony traz o autor para dentro de suas peripécias como d...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Lloyd Dewolf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: listened, business, values

I suspect this will be one of the most important books to trigger change in my career development and life course.

The beginning of this Hachette Audio book (published June 7, 2010) was a bit painful. Tony Hsieh comes across as awkward and seems to be over-enunciating words. I wondered why a actor wasn't employed and almost turned it off.

Soon after the introduction Hsieh gets comfortable, finds his rhythm, and his speaking becomes natural.

I'm both thankful that a voice actor wasn't used, and that...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Motaz Ghawanny Ghawanny rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in eCommerce. It's also a very good read for anyone who has/planning to start a start-up company. It shows you the importance of having a good team as well as many good adivices on how to invest money, build a company culture and chose the write investors.

This book is not really an autobiography of Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos. It's also not a book that explains the history, present and future plans of Zappos. It's something in...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Hinch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Delivering Happiness, written by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, is a book in two parts. The first is strongly autobiographical, weaving together a personal history of Zappos with tales of Tony's formative years and early entrepreneurial ventures. It is frank and authentically told. The second section, by presenting a detailed account of the values and service-centered practices of Zappos, almost feels like a "how to" guide on building corporate culture and identity. This section, which includes...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh is a shortened, graphic version of the famous book by the successful entrepreneur. Tony is the CEO of Zappos, an online shoe seller.

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh is a wonderful graphic adaptation of the book and certainly brings out the main points across. As with many good business books, this one also left me with ideas on how to implement what I lea...more Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh is a shortened, graphic version of the famous book by the successful entrepreneur. Tony is the CEO of Zappos, an online shoe seller.

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh is a wonderful graphic adaptation of the book and certainly brings out the main points across. As with many good business books, this one also left me with ideas on how to implement what I learned at my job.

Tony is an entrepreneur by blood. He started his own earthworm farm at 9, moved on to newspaper routes and made custom buttons and more. As Tony discovered computers he became a tester for video games, a programmer and worked for Oracle while creating LinkExchange. Tony’s company was sold to Microsoft for $265 million.

Always looking for the next great opportunity, Tony started a venture capital company and got involved with Zappos.com. Along the way the author learned many life lessons, including his desire to be fulfilled. A desire, I must say, which is much easier to achieve with a pocket full of money!

Tony founded Zappos through his angel investing company, he poured a lot of his own money into the company and helped it become the multi-million dollar success story it is today – and remain happy in the process.
No small achievement.

Along the way Tony talks about the areas Zappos invested their time and money in (culture, employee training and customer services) as well as how to install core values in your employees and the "Top 10 ways to instill customer services into your company".

The last few pages talk about happiness and company culture. While I really enjoyed this graphic adaptation I think I will buy the book if, for nothing else, but this last section.

For more reviews and bookish thoughts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was written by the guy who started Zappos. I didn't know much about the company having never used it myself, but I do know why they are most famous and that is for customer service and their free shipping. And in reading all my sisters Fast Company and Inc. magazines, this company is always talked about in them, so I wanted to pick up the book and learn more. And it was a great read! The author even said at the beginning that this book was written how he talks and I love that as I sort...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember when the book ‘Twilight’ was out.
You know – Twilight, that werewolf, vampire and girly romantic book?

Now please, before you insult my pea-sized intelligence by assuming that I purchased this book to read it – Let me remind you, I am NOT a lover of fictional material.
In fact – I HATE fiction!
That too, nonsensical, childish, immature love stories.

So, as I was saying,
When the book ‘Twilight’ was out, my ex-girl friend - who in fact never the slightest inclination to read even a 1 pag...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Mo Tipton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biz-money-econ

It's hard not to walk away from this book thinking that Tony Hsieh is a really great guy and that he obviously knows how to create a really kick ass company. That said, I found myself skimming through it like mad, particularly the beginning in which Hsieh talks about his earliest experiences as an entrepreneur all the way to the conception of Zappos.

Hsieh freely admits that he didn't use a ghostwriter and that his grammar might, at times, make his high school English teachers cringe, and that m...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tony Hsieh (the CEO of Zappos) is an entertaining writer. This book is divided into 3 sections; the first more autobiographical following Tony's path to entrepreneurship through childhood leading up to starting and sale of a dotcom company to Microsoft during the dotcom boom of 2000 and following management of his newfound wealth which leads up to his involvement in Zappos. The second section is entirely about Zappos and I found this section a little less appealing, the story of Zappos strugglin...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Sergei_kalinin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Название книги очень точно отражает её содержание :)

Понравилось:
1) Местами очень смешно. Особенно про попытки "предпринимательства" самого Тони Шея в детстве и юношестве :)
2) Есть некоторые фишечки касательно клиентского сервиса и вообще клиентоориентированного бизнеса
3) В самом конце книге очень тольковая глава про счастье, и как его использовать в бизнесе :)

Не понравилось:
1) Много "воды"
2) Много повторов
3) Очень подробно про корпоративную культуру компании Zappos, но очень мало про общие принц...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Matt Little rated it 5 of 5 stars

In a time when there is such uncertainty in the American public, when there's no trust with the people and the business leaders, this book offers itself as a shimmer of hope. While all around us there seems to be a continuous stream of corruption, whether it's a CEO swindling funds or getting an undeserved bonus check, Tony Hsieh shows us that there are still good and honest business leaders in the world today. Whether it's talking about making sure his employees have a place to stay or making s...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh is a great inspiring book. It is part biography, part employee handbook and part company history. Tony Hsieh is the CEO of zappos.com. As a frequent online shopper, I am well acquainted with Zappos and their free shipping and 365 day return policy.

In the book, Hsieh details how he has followed his passion and created Zappos. It is an incredible story. For me, it was very inspiring to read how he made it through the toug...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I totally loved this book. I tend to dislike memoirs, and I have a hard time engaging with businessy books, but this one far surpassed both genres. Generally, stories that go "And then we made $200 million dollars!" are kind of boring for me, because that doesn MEAN anything to me - I have no context for how someone could actually do that, and so it never feels real. This book put personality to how a company like Zappos is actually built, and in the building of it, how one dude was able to...more Wow, I totally loved this book. I tend to dislike memoirs, and I have a hard time engaging with businessy books, but this one far surpassed both genres. Generally, stories that go "And then we made $200 million dollars!" are kind of boring for me, because that doesn MEAN anything to me - I have no context for how someone could actually do that, and so it never feels real. This book put personality to how a company like Zappos is actually built, and in the building of it, how one dude was able to almost codify a world in which your job can be an inspiration to your life.

I found it fascinating to hear first hand about the dot com craziness and what a 24 year old does with 40 million dollars and how the "Well... what now? What do I actually want to do with my time?" issue lead him to create a company that he would want to work for. Reading this in context of a life where we love the TV show The Office - which depicts a world in which meaning and joy in life has to be found in spite of ones job - was really inspiring, because this is a guy who wanted meaning and joy in ones life to found *because of* ones job.

In the Sheryl Sandburg TED talk last year, she mentioned some of her top advice for women was to find a job you like, because leaving your kids to go to a job you hate suuuuuucks (I'm paraphrasing.) Well, this book shows you how one guy fell kind of assbackwards into figuring that out, and it's an interesting as hell story.

One of my interns is about to graduate college, and we've had a few casual conversations about what options are available to him once he's in the workplace. The minute I finished this book I walked over to his desk and handed it to him and told him his only job this week is to finish it. I would consider this required reading for anyone looking to decide what they want their job to be in their life. And even if you don't care about any of that, it's a great read about how an idea about selling shoes online became a super successful company.(less)

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Jul 06, 2011 Paradox_spiral rated it 5 of 5 stars

Довольно интересная книга. Сам Тони Шей является интересной личностью, чей предпринимательский талан проявлялся с детства, о чем мы узнаем с первых страниц: Ферма про разведению червей ( Идея - если разрезать червяка, то получится их, аж, целых 2 :-) ), Значки по почте и многое другое. В этой книге много жизненных историй: как веселых и забавных, так и горьких и не вкусных. Но автор прошел их достойно - вынес нужные уроки из ошибок. В результате проб и исканий, профессиональному и личностному ра...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very straightforward account of Tony Hsieh's rise from clever kid making buttons to CEO of Zappos. This was a pretty unlikely choice for me. This spring, I got a gig nannying for some kids whose mother does corporate development, and the book was sitting on the table. And that was that.

It seems to be written for a business crowd, and so it focuses on his early entrepreneurship, developing LinkExchange, and then forming Zappos. It was nice to read a business book that didn't have a ton of corpora...more Very straightforward account of Tony Hsieh's rise from clever kid making buttons to CEO of Zappos. This was a pretty unlikely choice for me. This spring, I got a gig nannying for some kids whose mother does corporate development, and the book was sitting on the table. And that was that.

It seems to be written for a business crowd, and so it focuses on his early entrepreneurship, developing LinkExchange, and then forming Zappos. It was nice to read a business book that didn't have a ton of corporate business speak (it does show up, kinda, toward the end), and see a businessman who can be very frank about what he doesn't know. He doesn't develop some kind of weird swagger about his business. It's nice to see someone be frank about being dead lucky.

That said--I'm not sure I would make the same choices Tony does. And the bit about raves--? C'mon, you were solely inspired by the love and oneness of it all? Really? So there are parts that make you roll your eyes, but they're not bad.

So the best: He dedicates the last half of the book to the corporate culture at Zappos. Even there, he gives tons of detail, but he's very humble. He claims that it doesn't matter what your corporate culture is, as long as you have one. But I really do like the culture he's put together (is this weird to confess?)--it's all about developing relationships (they EVEN treat their vendors well! No way!), being humble, adventurous, and turning what COULD be a crappy minimum wage job into a career. And treating the people at the bottom of the ladder like they're human beings.

I think there are a ton of lessons here for a lot of businesses. Obviously, we don't all have the luxury to be Tony Hsieh or make the same choices he did (and I'm not sure we would, anyway), but I like him. I like the business he creates, I like that he's trying to make call-center-type-jobs sustainable (whew), and if everyone created business like this, we'd probably all be pretty happy.

(I did call the call center number in the book, just to see if he's being honest about making it 100% accessible for any reason. Had a charming chat with a guy there about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other vampires on his aisle. Guy loved his job. Super impressive.)(less)

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Apr 10, 2011 Nick Perdiew rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really loved the childhood stories, and the tales of how he doubles his bets when he's almost knocked out. That sort of spirit along with luck has certainly helped drive Zappos' success. Certainly attracting a few key people in the beginning made a big difference too. He's clearly a very smart entrepreneur.

The author's first-hand insights into what he thinks has made him successful with Zappos are problematic however. I think he's fallen into the trap of being too close to see what makes him a...more

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Feb 15, 2011 John Cass rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, audio

I'm not sure that Mr. Hsieh really knew what he was doing most of the time. He was obviously quite young when he enjoyed his initial success with LinkExchange, and it's hard to tell wether or not there was ever any sound basis for the decisions he made.

I liked his ideas on 'Ask Anything', and how a business should be obsessed with its customers in order to remain successful over the long term. The book also provides some interesting insights as to what it was like to start one's career right at...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, audiobook

Tony Hsieh's book doesn't read like other business books about leaders of large, market-dominating organizations. I thought I would be reading a new age version of Alfred Sloan's "My Years with General Motors". You know, one of those books with the author stating all the ways he made smart choices and found new valuable connections to lead his company to victory. Tony's book isn't like that. I was struck, instead by how many times he got lucky throughout his experiences. I'd also add perserveren...more

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Nov 10, 2010 MsSmartiePants ...like the candy... rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was immediately curious about this book, having heard a bit about the development of the Zappos business. I was NOT familiar with the author, Tony Hsieh, or how Zappos was created. So when I discovered that my audio book club ordered the book, I put my name on the list to read it!
The author is a local guy, extremely smart and driven by his love of learning. His natural propensity towards positive and challenging activities is inspiring! While it took a while to become accustomed to his readin...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Patti rated it 2 of 5 stars

I haven’t read many business books, but when the “Delivering Happiness’ bus came to my workplace, I received a free copy, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I understand that this isn’t a ‘tell all’ or an autobiography, but what you get is a scrubbed clean Channel One telling of how to succeed in business without really trying. In a time when many people are anything but happy in their workplaces, I found the book to be more of a guide to start a Fraternity, except without any mention of drugs and a...more I haven’t read many business books, but when the “Delivering Happiness’ bus came to my workplace, I received a free copy, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I understand that this isn’t a ‘tell all’ or an autobiography, but what you get is a scrubbed clean Channel One telling of how to succeed in business without really trying. In a time when many people are anything but happy in their workplaces, I found the book to be more of a guide to start a Fraternity, except without any mention of drugs and alcohol. For real, you can’t have a whole section about how great Raves are without mentioning Ecstasy. The advice comes off as disingenuous when even the stories of the worst times could have happy faces at the end of each paragraph.

I’ve always been very suspicious of crow baring the importance of ‘culture’ into business. It seems to me that trying to hire people you want to be friends with would eventually result in group think. It’s hard to argue, though, when Hsieh has millions of dollars and I have dozens of dollars. From my experience, though, the amount of stress a company puts on how much fun they have, the less fun they are in reality.

I’ve read that newer generations are less engaged with their jobs as a lifestyle and place family and friends first, not really mixing the two. I wonder how these attitudes will mesh with the intense, “Your coworkers are your family now” philosophies. I much rather have a professional, structured work environment, with a product that I understand and believe in, and make money equal to the amount of energy I put forth.

I did take some good away:

1) Hsieh’s story makes you realize how much you should support the Entrepreneurial spirit in kids. I was always trying to start businesses as a kid, so it was funny to hear about his trial and errors.
2) I love the theory of giving people a two grand out if they quit after the initial training. Not every job is the right fit for everyone.
3) The idea of call centers being treated as a valid business careers. No call times, no scripts, but instead hiring and training people to do their jobs professionally.
4) Building a pipeline of talent – having clear paths of how you can grow professionally.
(less)

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About Tony Hsieh

In 1999, at the age of twenty-four, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he cofounded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO. He helped Zappos grow from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Places to Work For” list...more

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Quotes from Delivering Happiness: ...

“Money alone isn't enough to bring happiness . . . happiness [is] when you're actually truly ok with losing everything you have.” — 14 people liked it

“Happiness is really just about four things: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (number and depth of your relationships), and vision/meaning (being part of something bigger than yourself).” — 8 people liked it

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