I can’t help but be utterly fascinated and endlessly impressed with Zappos, the popular online retailer, and Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh — who has to be one of the most popular retail CEOs (if not the coolest). Tony’s off-beat humor (read his Tweets and you’ll know why), and his Zen-like attitude have undoubtedly influenced company culture and success.

Don’t they look happy? That’s Zappos letting employees be themselves.
photo from Jake Chessum, Inc.com

The company, and the CEO, have been profiled in virtually every business and trade publication. Everywhere you turn, there’s an article on how the company has sky-rocketed to fame and fortune (Amazon recently bought the company for over $800 million). Just a week ago, I saw that New Yorker magazine published a thorough inside look about the company.

Then, a colleague of mine forwarded me a slideshow on Inc.com, highlighting the company’s best practices in customer service and employee engagement. There were five simple points (view the slideshow for more details):

1. Try everything — such as offer free shipping, free returns, have 24-hour (attentive) customer service
2. Let people be themselves — allow employees to make decisions without consulting managers
3. Get serious about training — require a rigorous training regimen for new hires and long-term employees
4. Open up — encourage employees to Tweet, give customers (fans?) tours of company headquarters
5. Get happy — bring joy to customers and employees

Tony Hsieh is rumored to be writing a book, tentatively titled Delivering Happiness. Hsieh tells the New Yorker, it will focus on a “combination of Zappos, the culture, core values, and the science of happiness.” When core values include: Create Fun and a Little Weirdness, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, and Embrace and Drive Change — yes, those are things I can’t get enough of.