Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
by Tony Hsieh
List Price:
Our Price: $9.63
You Save: $14.36 (60%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.07 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Tony HsiehEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-06-07
ISBN: 0446563048
Number of pages: 253
Publisher: Business Plus
Book Reviews of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Book Review: Happiness is not an edict.
Summary: 5 Stars
I make a living helping companies improve their performance. Bar none, the absolute hardest challenge is dealing with outdated, defunct, and proven-failed management and leadership attitudes and techniques. It's even harder when leaders won't let go of them.
Attitudes that don't account for the emotional needs of people.
Attitudes that don't start with the fundamental requirement that tough or large changes require the top-down example and behavior to lead the way.
Attitudes that don't stand up for what's right and acquiesce to blatant cognitive dissonance.
Attitudes that fail to realize you can't lay-out the company's supposed mission or vision, or the staff's objectives and goals, and not provide them with the tools or empowerment to make anything happen -- or worse, to undermine efforts with behaviors and decisions that conflict with the messages.
Attitudes that perpetually fail to create sustainable results, superior performance, and legendary relationships among the company staff, and between the company and its suppliers and customers; yet they are the same attitudes that failure-destined leaders continue to retread in some insane hope or expectation that everything will work out on its own.
Well, here's some not-so-profound news (which I'm pretty sure you didn't need me to tell you): these attitudes are nothing short of leadership's inability to own up to their responsibilities and accountability for actually doing what they're there to do: lead.
Instead of leading you'll often find such cowardly executives hiding behind backbone-belying excuses such as "I lead through delegation" (which, when said by these leaders actually means, "I really don't know what to do to help you get your job done"), or "I trust my people to do the right thing" (which, when said by such leaders, actually means, "I'm lucky my people know what they're doing because I don't"), or "I'm serious about quality, I've made Joe, here, the company quality sheriff" (which is poser-leader-speak for, "I haven't the foggiest idea what drives quality in our company and but it's a problem and I don't know how to fix it, but getting someone else to blame is a lot easier than getting mixed-up with all that touchy-feely stuff.").
Such leaders are nothing more than overpaid, over-indulged and over-honored paper-pushers whose lack of involvement in day-to-day operations is probably a blessing. Because, when they do get involved (especially considering their only natural inclination is to micro-manage if/when they bother), they typically don't make things better.
In a profound way, most companies' leaders simply don't "get it", they won't admit that they don't get it, and they're not open to having anyone help them get it.
One the basic "its" they don't *get* is that what's going on in their company is a culture, and because they don't see what's going on as a culture, or appreciate the role culture plays in making a business successful, they not only don't see that what they need is to change the culture, but that in order to do so they must lead the change themselves.
Furthermore, they don't see that what it means to change the culture is not to pass down new rules or to disseminate a verbal memo through subordinates, it means to get out and lead. To behave or simply *BE* the new culture. How flat does a new, great-sounding idea fall when it's delivered in the same mechanisms as all the old, not-as-great (dare I say "dumb") ideas?
Do you agree?
Perhaps you need validation of your way of thinking.
Perhaps you need an example to follow.
Perhaps you need to crystallize your thoughts so you can pave a path.
Or perhaps you need something to believe in, something to help you find a better way to work, place to work, or how to start making a difference in your work life and work-life balance.
Maybe you're someone who's been burned trying such non-traditional ideas and you're seeking what might have been missing, or a simple reflection on a point you didn't see or know to look for.
In any case, if you are seeking how to understand and positively influence culture as a primary business driver of positive change and astounding accomplishments, then Tony' Hseih's Delivering Happiness is a must read. Scratch that. If you're reading this review this far you MUST read. Delivering Happiness. Even if you're currently not big on culture as a business driver, or, if you think you know about culture and business but secretly, deep down, you really have no clue what it is, how it looks, or how to create the one you want, you must read this book. If you *know* your business has a culture problem but don't know what to do about it, read this book.
The amazing things Tony and his team have accomplished by putting _happiness_ at the center of their existence and by making it unmistakably simple to lead by example will leave you wondering why it's taken anyone this long to put this sort of content together. There is nothing new in leading by example. It's talked about, written about, lectured about in every credible business and management venue anywhere at any time in history. But, one thing (of many others) unique in Tony's book is that he actually conveys _what_that_looks_like_. It's not just words to him and his team. It's how they *are*. It's in everything they do and say and consider. They wanted a certain culture? They *became* that culture and started every action from there. It's in how they treat each other, their customers, their suppliers, their partners and their extended relationships. They want to sustain that culture? They *built* and *rebuilt* their existence to continually refine what it takes to generate the culture they want. Delivering Happiness is like being the ultimate "fly on the wall" to get the insight into answering the question most business books and theories frustratingly fail to answer, "OK, I get what you /describe/, but what did you *do*?!" This book lays it out.
Delivering Happiness will probably make you wonder why bother with any other business approach, and even why bother with any other business book! It's as though all you ever wanted to know about running a business and making people happy (either as one, the other, or both) are in his 272-page first offering. I'm not saying other business books don't matter, and that other business books don't have valuable insights and concepts. What I'm saying is that Delivering Happiness is so fundamental that it almost makes no sense to start elsewhere. If business leaders don't understand the fundamentals of the role culture plays in their success and what to do to generate the culture they want, then little else can help.
Tony's done great research. Thanks (or no thanks?) to Delivering Happiness, my reading list has not only grown, but has sprouted an entirely new branch of exploration. It's fascinating stuff. I was so intrigued I rescheduled several days' plans to finish-up some of the reading I had already started so I could clear my reading time and my mind for the new stuff Tony introduced me to.
Not only does Tony make an eloquent and convincing case for the influence and effects of business culture, but his amazing story about [...] and the insights from places he worked or owned before -- as they all relate to _happiness_ -- are inspiring and instructive -- for anyone with an open mind.
And... not the kind of "open mind" that rationalizes nonsense, but the kind of open mind that's open to questioning tradition; asking where a tradition came from and why it continues to exist despite its time having come and gone. The kind of open mind that's continually seeking better ideas built on progress and results, not on reactionary fears, theory, or short-term thinking. And, the kind of open mind that's ready to make a really big difference in their work, life, or in the world, and not cling to stale thinking born of a time when those old ideas were once new.
It's time to replace those ideas with ideas built in and for the 21st Century. It's time for ideas that deliver results. It's time to start Delivering Happiness.
P.S. I received a free copy of the book so that I could read it and write an honest review about it in time for the launch date. I received my free copy on nothing but the promise that I would write an honest review, and, all I received was the free book. Other than my own integrity, I had no compelling reason to keep my promise. I didn't have to read the book, or write a review, or even write a positive review. In fact, I could just as easily have written a review (irrespective of whether or not I'd read it) trashing the book -- if it were trash. But it's not. I have received plenty of free books to review and even requests to write forewords, summaries, afterwards, etc. I have written (and had published) unflattering reviews (not something I relish) and I've also chosen not to write a review or contribute to a work when, as in the case of reviews, there was little nice to say, or in the case of contributions, I didn't want to associate with the work. All this is just to say: this is a very honest, unencumbered review. There are no strings attached in any way for having written it. Go read Delivering Happiness. You'll be glad you did.
P.P.S. There's also a Tweeter [...] to follow, and a community to join, and a Facebook crowd to like. If this is your thing, I encourage you do so.
Summary of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.
Pay new employees $2000 to quit. Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority. Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Help employees grow both personally and professionally. Seek to change the world. Oh, and make money too.
Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales every year.
In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine's top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life. (edited by author)
The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.
Pay new employees $2000 to quit. Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority. Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Help employees grow both personally and professionally. Seek to change the world. Oh, and make money too.
Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales every year.
In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine's top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life. (edited by author)
Amazon Exclusive Author Q&A with Tony Hsieh, Author of Delivering Happiness
I think usually by the time you're 12 years old, you either have the entrepreneurial spirit or you don't. I would describe the entrepeneurial spirit as a combination of creativity and optimisim.
2. Could you name one particular experience that inspired you to create a company devoted to customer happiness?For me, it's really been driven by daily examples of bad customer service in my everyday personal life.
3. Was the worm farm really the invaluable catalyst for forming your business and life philosophy?My parents tell me that as a kid I was always trying to come up with different business ideas. The idea of starting a worm farm is my earliest memory of a business idea.
4. You say that you have always been an avid book reader. What are your favorite books? Which non-business book helped you grow professionally?Business books: Good to Great, Peak, Tribal Leadership Made to Stick
Non-business books: The Happiness Hypothesis Comedy Writing Secrets The Game
5. What is the ratio between rebelling against conventional wisdom and sticking to the good old truths in building a successful business?1:10
6. You describe your way to happiness starting with profits, then going through passion and finally getting to purpose. Is that the only path to business happiness?No, that was just the path that I happened to take. Part of the purpose of the book is to help other entrepreneurs and business owners shortcut the process and encourage them to go straight to combining profits, passion, and purpose.
7. You seem to have taken risks with business ideas a lot while growing up. How do you recognize a risk that you shouldn't take?I think it just comes down to really breaking down what the worst case scenario actually is. For most of us, we're lucky to live in a time and in a society where we aren't actually ever in danger of dying from starvation or lack of shelter. Most of us have friends whose couches we can crash on in the worst case scenario, so any "risk" we take in starting a company isn't actually that big a risk.
Customer Service Books
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Customer-Directed Healthcare Reform with Episode Pricingby Douglas Emery
South-Western Educational Pub; Published: 2005-12-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.12
Price in other shops:
Creating New Clients: Marketing and Selling Professional Servicesby Kevin Walker, Paul Denvir, Cliff Ferguson
Cassell; Published: 2000-05; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Customer Service - NVQ Level 2: Unit 2 Store, Retrieve and Supply InformationFinancial Times Prentice Hall; Published: 1996-11-04; Paperback; Book
The DNA of Customer Experience: How Emotions Drive Valueby Colin Shaw
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2007-06-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $40.15
Price in other shops:
We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better Worldby Simon Mainwaring
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2011-06-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops:
Product Information Management for Mass Customization: Connecting Customer, Front-office and Back-office for Fast and Efficient Customizationby Cipriani Forza, Fabrizio Salvador
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2007-02-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $101.95
Price in other shops:
Sales Management: People and Profitby James M. Comer
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 1991-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.00
Price in other shops:
101 Quick Tips: Create A Great Customer Experience (Penguin Original)by Debbie Mayo-Smith, Dr. Ian Brooks
Penguin Global; Published: 2009-07-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
Customer Service: A Practical Approach (for ITT only)by Elaine K. Harris
Prentice Hall College Div; Published: 1995-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.20
Price in other shops:
Strategic Database Marketing: The Masterplan for Starting and Managing a Profitable, Customer-Based Marketing Programby Arthur Hughes
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2005-08-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $157.60
The Thank You Economyby Gary Vaynerchuk
HarperBusiness; Published: 2011-03-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organizationby Dave Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright
HarperBusiness; Published: 2008-01-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Serviceby Ari Weinzweig
Hyperion; Published: 2004-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.56
Price in other shops:
The Customer-Driven Company: Moving from Talk to Actionby R. C. Whiteley
Perseus Books; Published: 1991; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.99
Price in other shops:
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslowby Chip Conley
Jossey-Bass; Published: 2007-09-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.39
Price in other shops:
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organizationby Dave Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright
HarperBusiness; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.64
Price in other shops:
The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOWby Joseph Michelli
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2011-09-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.51
Price in other shops:
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don'tby Jim Collins
HarperBusiness; Published: 2001-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops:
Reworkby Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Crown Business; Published: 2010-03-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.86
Price in other shops:
Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organizationby Leonardo Inghilleri, Micah Solomon
AMACOM; Published: 2010-04-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.11
Price in other shops: