Tony Hsieh, chief executive of Zappos.com, discloses a few of his (10) ten core company values in this lighthearted Q & A New York Times interview. The message seems clear: If culture is given high importance, brand building and customer excellence will take care of itself. If the skills and experience are in place, the next step in the unique hiring process is to determine if the person is a good match to the organizational culture. An invitation to a barbeque with family members is one example cited as a way to know the prospective employee on a personal basis.
Gauging self-awareness was another distinguishable characteristic of the Zappos approach. Hsieh says, “I think if someone is self-aware, then they can always continue to grow. If they’re not self-aware, I think it’s harder for them to evolve or adapt beyond who they already are.” Put in question form, he determines the “biggest misconception” the person has about who they are. In follow-up, the query includes weirdness on a scale of 1-10; looking for the response to the question, not necessarily at the specific number given.
All (10) ten Zappos core values can be viewed at: http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values
The free lunches, culture book, high level of customer experience, and the basic value proposition at Zappos sets a positive example for other companies to achieve employee retention and fulfillment in a distinguishable corporate environment. Viva Las Vegas!
