Celebrating Tony Hsieh’s Leadership Style and Philosophy

I was shocked to hear of the passing on of Tony Hsieh, formerly the CEO of Zappos.  I was fortunate to meet him on a Zappos Las Vegas customer support center tour years ago.  I was awed by Tony Hsieh’s leadership style and philosophy that day.  Here are some of his strategies that have impacted me as a leader.

What traits did Tony Hsieh exhibit that indicate he is an effective leader?

When I visited Zappos, I initially thought the support team office seemed eclectic in appearance and attitude.  The office had a sense of semi-organized chaos with few rules, loose organization, and little supervision.  Tony’s office was in the center, showing he was part of the team, not above it.

It didn’t look like a traditional office environment, but there was a sense of fun, energy, and success.  A giant video board had sales numbers, key metrics, and messages everyone could see.  It was rare and shocking that a company would share that much information with employees and tour guests.

However, that transparency is part of Tony’s management style.  He knew early on that Zappos’s success relied on establishing its core values and making employees feel invested in the company’s success.  As a result, the office was alive with precisely the type of energy that the brand itself embodied. 

Many businesses overlook the importance of company culture, but Tony knew better.  His leadership style and philosophy are rooted in leading through service.  He created a healthy office culture by putting his team and customers first. 

In his book Delivering Happiness, he wrote, “At Zappos, we believe that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff—like great customer service, building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers—will happen naturally.  Your culture is your brand.” 

Zappos experienced rapid growth under the leadership style of Tony Hsieh.  From 1999 to 2000, Zappos sold $1.6 million in shoes.  Revenue skyrocketed over the next few years, surpassing $2 billion in 2015. 

One of the reasons for this success was Tony’s insistence that customer service was the brand element that made them different from all other competitors. 

He wrote: “We decided that we wanted to build our brand to be about the very best customer service and the very best customer experience.  We believe that customer service shouldn’t be just a department; it should be the entire company.” Tony Hsieh’s servant leadership is just one part of his great legacy. 

We can all learn from Tony Hsieh’s leadership ideas, as embodied by the Zappos 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

Tony was an example of a leader who truly lived his values.  His followers will miss him, but the legacy of Tony Hsieh will live on forever in the hearts and minds of the business leaders he touched.  If you haven’t read his book, Deliver Happiness, please read it soon.

Coach Dave