More from the WorldBlu conference! The final speaker was Tony Heish, CEO of Zappos.com. Tony just released a new book titled Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion and purpose. The book is currently on New York Times best seller. Zappos is one of the largest online retailers. Here are some quotes and comments from Tony at WorldBlu – “What stories do customers (in our case residents and clients) tell their friends?” “How can we create more stories and memories?” “What do customers feel?” He believes companies should hire people who fit the culture more than anything else. Here are some things Zappos is known for:

• Pay brand new employees $2,000 to quit
• Make customer service the responsibility of 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

Zappos defines its culture in terms of 10 core values:

• Deliver WOW through service
• Embrace and drive change
• Create fun and a little weirdness
• Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
• Pursue growth and learning
• Build open and honest relationships with communication
• Build a positive team and family spirit
• Do more with less
• Be passionate and determined
• Be humble

While Zappos is very different from Messiah Village, there are still things we can learn from them to be a better place to live and work. For more info, check out Zappos.com or www.deliveringhappinessbook.com. Both websites have a lot about their core values and culture. Based on what you learn, how might Messiah Village better live out who we are?

Emerson Lesher, Traci Fenton (from WorldBlu), Nancy Wise and Michelle Wolfe at the WorldBlu Conference in Las Vegas