Wounded but Alive – Surviving Zappos Fun Experiences

I was at Zappos HQ today delivering an advance copy of The Zappos Experience book to Tony Hsieh and colleagues (the book will hit bookstores by Oct 15th). Honestly, I was minding my own business when I became a casualty of an errant foam dart flying across the Zappos Insights work area.  You have to understand that I was so ill equipped for battle that I had to recycle the weapon that struck me to actually initiate a counter attack.

As the laughter subsided, I asked myself how I got so involved in the type of game I might have played as a child or with my children.  How can anything get done with all this falderal?  Having worked closely with Zappos staff for years now, I can tell you that work made fun gets done and the passion and drive of Zappos employees are second to none.

Zappos leadership has challenged the notion of work/life balance and in it’s place focused on work/life integration.  Why do we need to leave work to come alive?  Next time I visit Zappos I will be well-armed with multiple forms of foam weaponry and I’ll also expect to have a massively enjoyable productive day as I did today!

Are you having fun yet?  If not, your customers probably aren’t either!

Smoke over black background

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D. is a professional speaker and chief experience officer at The Michelli Experience. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, Dr. Michelli and his team consult with some of the world’s best customer experience companies.

Follow on Twitter: @josephmichelli

Leave a Comment





FREE RESOURCES

The Starbucks Experience: Leadership Tips eBook
Elevating Care in Healthcare: Lessons from the UCLA Health System eBook
How to Win Every Customer, Every Time, No Excuses! Article