Delivering Happiness
– Tony Hsieh
Who should read this book?
Everyone who is interested in running a successful business. Everyone who is concerned with changing the world and being happy. Everyone who wants to know how making profits, extraordinary customer service, and happiness all go hand-in-hand.
It is important to discover the one thing you are passionate about, and conversely, what you don’t want to do
Realizing your passion is important, because it makes all the decisions that follow easy. Because you always know what you are aiming for, your ultimate goal.
Take things slow. Growing fast can be counterproductive if the wrong people are hired
Rapid growth for your company can be exciting, gaining investment dollars and hiring new employees every week. But beware of hypergrowth and take it as a warning sign. Growing too quickly and hiring the wrong people can diminish your company’s culture.
The success of your company is closely tied to your culture, so focus on creating one that you believe in
The culture of a company is one of its most important characteristics. Your culture is your brand, your employees are your brand ambassadors. So, make it a point that each new hire joins the team for more than the skills and experience listed on their CV. Only hire people you would happily go out for drinks with.
Strive to be always learning, and make it a priority for your employees as well
To build a great company, you have to pursue growth and learning. Continual growth should be a goal for your overall business and for all the people that are part of it.
Choose one thing you want your organization to be the best at and focus on that thing
Having one thing your company aims to be the best at is helpful because it allows you to focus and specialize, and thus become really great at something rather than being merely adequate or good at several things.
Don’t focus on building buzz around your brand, but rather build engagement and trust by treating people well
Attempting to create buzz around your brand is counterproductive when you could just be putting your effort into doing what you do best. Instead of stressing over how to get media attention, focus on delivering a great customer experience and service. The rest will follow, and your buzz will self-generate.
Have a vision of a higher purpose so that your ultimate outcome will be happiness
Having a vision of a higher purpose means being about something bigger than whatever you are selling. It means having a goal that goes beyond making profits and growing a company.
Conclusion
The key message in this book is that company culture and customer service are the keys to a successful business. Ultimately, happiness is what everyone is looking for in life, and a company can be successful by finding ways to make its employees, customers, and partners happy. This is achieved through extraordinary customer service and a company culture that is unique, one that employees believe in.
