Zappos is wow
Getting dropped off by Zappos shuttle
Today I toured the Zappos head office in Las Vegas. I had read Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness, and was eager to see the concepts he’s talked about in-person.
Wow. I am blown away.
Zappos.com is the world’s largest online shoe store, but they’re probably better known for their amazing corporate culture. During my tour, I was able to experience that culture first-hand.
Highlights
Strong values
Zappos has some very strong corporate values. They’re posted everywhere; I even found them in the bathroom. Unlike many corporate statements, the employees at Zappos are actually passionate about their core values. They can recite them off by heart. Even more important: I could see them living the values through their actions, and through the way they treated each other and their guests.
Positive people
I couldn’t find a negative person at Zappos: from the friendly guy who picked me up in the shuttle, to my tour guide, to the developer I spoke to afterwards, everyone was positive and upbeat. You can tell that they genuine enjoy their work. How are they getting all their people to be so gosh-darned nice? Well, it’s #7 on their values list: Build A Positive Team And Family Spirit.
Their office is a creative cornucopia
The office decorations at Zappos are insane! Every team is allowed to decorate their space the way they’d like. There is stuff everywhere: streamers hung from the ceiling, Christmas lights strewn over dividers, and handmade posters on the walls. I found it inspiring. Employees feel a freedom to express themselves, and actually enjoy being at the office.
It’s not a gimmick
Before my visit to Zappos I wondered if their company culture was just a gimmick used to attract new employees. But I’ve seen it in action: have a strong set of corporate values, and a strong goal (delivering happiness to customers) really works.
Photos
Zappos HQ Tour, a set on Flickr.
Photos from my tour of the Zappos HQ in Las Vegas, Nevada!
Is everyone that works there an extreme extrovert? Bit of a silly question, but I felt claustrophobic just looking at the pictures of the office there. Can totally see how it would appeal to a certain personality though.
No, I definitely met people there who seemed very introverted. I think certain departments probably skew towards certain personality types, but the culture seems quite inclusive.
Sweet! I wish there were an easier way to scroll through your pics, but it looks hilarious! I’ll decorate your office space for you next time you leave… MWAHAHA!
Just updated the photo gallery (by doing an import from Flickr). Hopefully those are easier to browse!
[...] I took both of these shots: the photo of 37signals was taken when I visited in 2010, and the picture at Zappos from my recent visit in early 2012. [...]
We have Zappos Insights speaker Jonathan Wolske speaking to #okanagan #startups on October 23rd. Save the date, more details to come.
Sorry! Typo – October 22nd.
Cool! I believe I met Jonathan while I was in Nevada.