Delivering Happiness

I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction, and I've always been somewhat sceptical (with good reason, I think!) of self-help, business and management books. I know that there can be a lot of knowledge in them, but most of the time it is packaged in self-obsessed wankiness, obvious duh-statements and quite a lot of waffle (not the good kind, obviously).

Even so, I read Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, founder of LinkExcange and CEO of online retail giant Zappos. Zappos is famous for having great focus on customer satisfaction and a superb company culture, with lots of innovative ideas on how to ensure loyalty and enthusiasm about the brand from both employees and customers. The book is part memoir, about Tony's upbringing, family values and first entrepreneurial attempts, part company history, covering LinkExchange and Zappos, and part self-help guide in achieving high levels of happiness.

As literary qualities go, Delivering Happiness doesn't have much going for it, but I don't think that's what the book set out for either, so that's fine. It's written in a playful way, with a first-person narrative which only becomes preachy and slightly righteous towards the second half. Tony seems like a nice guy, he's fun to be with and has lots of crazy ideas (according to himself, anyway), and who wouldn't want to work in a company that is the best ever to work for - or number 8, as it were, on the list of Best Companies To Work For. And we don't just have to take Tony's word for it, there are lots of stories from employees and colleagues, about how they embrace and personify the 10 statements that they call the family core values. The book is playful with typography, layout and typefaces, making it look creative and cool, albeit a bit messy. It mixes the narrative with emails and other points of view, and is overwhelmingly easy and fast to read.

I actually really enjoyed the first parts, the funny and enjoyable stories about Tony Hsieh and his background, and about his time in LinkExchange and becoming part of Zappos. But what I had expected from the book was more an insight into why Zappos has been successful, and what lessons can be learned for others wanting to improve the way companies work. Too bad that the further into the book and the further into the philosophies behind it all, the worse the book gets. I was hoping to make lots of notes of great ideas, but I only had a couple of points scribbled down at the end of the book, most of which I had thought of already anyway.

The Zappos values set forth in the book aren't bad in themselves, and I admire any company that truly puts the happiness of employees and users first, but I do think the truth rings somewhat hollow throughout the book. While I agree with some points in Delivering Happiness, and I think all businesses should invest in training, focus on career and personal progression, communicate openly and be fun - it is still a company that sees work-life balance as making work your family and life as well as work, a company still driven by one man's vision and many people's hard work and efforts, and still a business focusing on profits at the top rather than a reasonable distribution of rewards and benefits which could drive more innovation, satisfaction and happiness beyond a capitalist business model. Guess we disagree on the foundations then, Tony!