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Cheery or Scroogey? Retail Worker Happiness
Dec 24th
Which retail workers are merry, jolly and happy to serve you this holiday season? PayScale.com asked retail workers at various major outlets to rate their levels of stress and satisfaction on the job and came up with a happiness score for each group. It turns out that some holiday workers like their retail gigs much more than others – and pay and benefits don’t always make the big difference.
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Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work
Dec 12th
Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Marketing podcast with Jon Gordon (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)
There’s a potent lyric in one of my favorite John Prine songs, Angel From Montgomery, that goes like this – “How the hell can a person, go to work in the morning, come home in evening, got nothing to say.”
Well, anyone that’s owned a business can tell you, some days can do that to you – particularly those days when you lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
My guest for this week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is Jon Gordan, author of The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work
In The Seed we meet Josh, an up and comer in his company, who has lost his passion at work. Challenged by his boss to take two weeks and decide if he really wants to work there, Josh takes off for the country, where he meets a wise farmer who gives him a seed and a promise: find the right place to plant the seed, and his purpose will be revealed.
Gordan effectively uses the fable format to help us find our own sources of wisdom and insight.
I think many business owners, and really anyone toiling away in a job anywhere, crave this idea of purpose and meaning, but far too few stop to reflect on the things that make them truly happy and fulfilled.
If you let it, your work can suck the life right out of you. Connecting with some higher purpose that drives and sustains through the good patches and the rough patches is the most powerful tool you can employ.
You can listen to the show by subscribing the feed in iTunes or a variety of other free services such as Google Listen (Use this RSS feed) or you can buy the Duct Tape Marketing iPhone app. (iTunes link – Cost is $2.99) or
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Status and Happiness: Review of “I, Mammal”
Nov 26th
“You can’t be mad at the world when you understand the mammal brain,” says Dr. Loretta Graziano Breuning, author of I, Mammal: Why Your Brain Links Status and Happiness.
All mammals, including humans, have social behaviors to help increase their chances of survival. As a bonus, there are parts of the brain, called the limbic system, that reward us for these behaviors by releasing chemicals that feel good.
Before you think that you’re more evolved than other mammals, though, think again. These social behaviors and their chemical rewards do apply to everyday human behavior. When a customer calls to complain, you feel threatened. I, Mammal explains what is actually happening in your brain and why your heart is still racing even after the customer hangs up.
How We Evolved
In a group setting, the mammal brain must constantly decide when to grab something to meet its needs and when to hold back for fear of being injured. The mammal brain rewards successful survival behaviors with happy chemicals and releases unhappy chemicals when our survival is threatened.
You mammal brain doesn’t care if you have a full pantry at home. It works moment to moment. Say you and a friend both grab for the last piece of chocolate. If you get the chocolate, your mammal brain will reward you with happy chemicals. If your friend gets the chocolate instead, your mammal brain will react as if your very survival is at stake, and unhappy chemicals will be released.
These reactions go beyond food, though. Humans also have a large cortex that handles abstract concepts of what success and achievement mean to us. The limbic system still reacts though as if situations were life or death. Let’s say your business is competing against an archrival on a bid. If a competitor gets the bid instead of you, the limbic system reacts with the same level of unhappy chemicals as if your life were threatened.
The mammal brain doesn’t deal in the grey areas of modern society, only in the black and white of our ancestors. That is why next time you may lower your prices to get the bid, which feels good, but in the long run may hamper your success if you can’t cover your costs.
Why Happiness Doesn’t Last
It would be fantastic if we could get our happy chemicals to be released all the time, but that’s not how our mammal brains work. We get our “reward” when we win, but the chemicals fade quickly after that so we can go back to taking care of our survival.
When these happy chemicals fade we feel less happy, and our cortex interprets this as a sign that something is wrong. So we start looking for a reason, and often we find a problem where one doesn’t exist. When we become more aware of our feelings and what is driving them, we can save ourselves fruitless searches for nonexistent problems and ultimately be able to savor the times when we do experience happiness.
The Author
Dr. Loretta Graziano Breuning is Professor Emerita of International Business at California State University, East Bay. She has a background in international trade and worked for the United Nations in Africa. Her prior book was “Greaseless: How to Thrive Without Bribes in Developing Countries” and she has lectured in many countries on preventing bribery.
Growing up she witnessed firsthand how status worked in her Mafia-controlled neighborhood. She says:
“Your brain longs for status the way it longs for rich food, attractive mates and the safety of the herd.”
More Resources
Dr. Granizano Bruening has a regular blog through Psychology Today. She also has many resources listed on the I, Mammal website. There is even a recommended list of movies to watch where you can see mammal brain behavior in action.
Who Will Benefit from I, Mammal
If you have ever been frustrated it is probably because you are comparing yourself to others. Consider your next business networking event. Observe how people talk to one another and see how they try to trump the other person. Realize that everyone is doing this unconsciously to help themselves feel good. Even cows have social rivalries!
I, Mammal helps you to become more aware of these comparisons and get past them. Instead consider appreciating our brains, which have evolved over 200 million years and helped our ancestors to stay strong, mate and protect their children. Next time, let the other person brag. They will feel better about themselves, and you can focus on building an alliance that helps you in the long run and feels good in a different way.
The Bottom Line
While we can’t fight our mammal brain, we can work with to find ways to stimulate our happy chemicals without resorting to behaviors our cortex knows are bad for us. The solution is actually within you, not “out there” in society.
Status and Happiness: Review of “I, Mammal”
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NYT: Happiness is side effect of new frugality – Business – The New York Times
Aug 8th
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“The idea that you need to go bigger to be happy is false,” she says. “I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness.” |
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Book Review: Delivering Happiness by Zappos’ Tony Hsieh
Jun 8th
Transparency. Alignment. Relationship building. Culture.
Many companies struggle to incorporate today’s new business memes. But some companies have embodied these ideas for years. Zappos, the online shoe store known for its tribal culture and customer service, is one of those companies.
Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh, tells his story in Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. The book covers both Tony’s personal entrepreneurial story and that of his company, Zappos. Delivering Happiness offers a feel-good look at the passion, culture, and, yes, happiness that could drive the next generation of companies.
Inside the Book
Delivering Happiness starts with a look at Tony’s childhood. Like many of today’s successful businesspeople, Tony was an entrepreneur, innovator, and achiever from a young age. You follow Tony into high school, through his Harvard undergrad education, and then through the inception and buyout of his first major company, LinkXChange, which made him millions.
After selling LinkXChange, Tony dabbled in new projects, from poker to investing, before realizing that building companies was his passion. At this point, he jumped into a young, struggling Zappos, betting most of his fortune on the company’s success. After several trials, Tony and his team get Zappos off the ground and growing.
The second part of the book leaves Tony’s personal biography aside to focus more on Zappos’ inner workings. Zappos has three priorities: customer service, culture, and employee training and development. Tony describes how Zappos uses each, and how each is a competitive advantage. Then, the same chapter goes through each of Zappos’ ten core values in detail, with employee anecdotes along the way.
The third part of the book describes the public relations and speaking lessons Tony learned, as well as what alignment means to Zappos. It then covers the Amazon buyout. Tony finishes the book with a chapter on happiness, what it means for both humans and business, and the questions you should ask yourself in order to find it in your own life and career.
Thoughts
If you’re a regular business book reader, some of the concepts inside of Delivering Happiness—building on your core values, learning what to outsource, impressing customers through service—won’t sound new. The character-building trials Tony describes are also a theme of any biographical business book.
Yet Delivering Happiness is timely. Buzzwords like alignment and culture are smoking hot in today’s business language. Zappos is emblematic of many such “conscious” qualities. If you haven’t yet immersed yourself in new corporate culture, Tony and Zappos’ story is a fun place to start.
Tony’s verve, passion, and openness also differentiate Delivering Happiness from your average business biography. He describes a wide array of experiences, including having an epiphany at a warehouse rave. Tony’s engaging writing style makes the book feel conversational, even in some of the more technical, business-y sections.
Should You Read It?
If you’re already familiar with today’s new corporate qualities, and are scratching your head about whether to pick up this particular book, I’d say skip it. I found it good, but not mind-blowing. Nothing really stuck with me after I closed it, because I’d learned about the importance of spectacular customer service and company culture elsewhere.
Still, I do think that some people would benefit. Delivering Happiness would make a great starter business book for Gen Y-ers. Tony sounds like a Red Bull-chugging, whip-smart kid at heart. Today’s 20-somethings can probably relate much more closely to him than to old-school titans like Jack Welch. I also recommend Delivering Happiness if you’re curious about Zappos (or a fan), or you want a primer on today’s new-school business qualities.
Disclosure: We received a free promotional copy of Delivering Happiness.
View full post on Business Pundit
Are You Delivering Happiness?
Jun 7th
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Marketing podcast with Tony Hsieh (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes
My guest for today’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is Tony Hsieh, CEO of the billion dollar company Zappos.
Tony describes Zappos as a service company that happens to sell shoes online.
Extreme customer service was not the big master plan. In Hseih’s new book,Delivering Happiness, he chronicles what he terms the mistakes he made along the way in an effort to help other entrepreneurs avoid them. (They failed their way to 1.2 billion in sales)
Hsieh cites his research into positive psychology or the science of happiness as one of the factors of success at Zappos. Changing the culture to being about making employees, vendors and customers happy became the Zappos brand. Building processes to deliver happiness at every touch point is hard to do. You have to build it at the core and let the people deliver who you are. Define the core values and make it something that get amplified everyday. Hire and fire based on the core values.
You can find more about the book and Tony’s Happiness Movement at Delivering Happiness
My question is when will there be a Zappos Airline?
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Review of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Jun 5th
Unless you’re from another planet, you’ve heard of Zappos, the online shoe retailer that was acquired by Amazon last year. You’ve probably also read about the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, who has been interviewed often in the media, along with the amazing stories of Zappos’ success, and its legendary customer service.
Hsieh offers his thoughts in his new book, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose,” (Hachette Book Group), 2010.
The “Delivering Happiness” team sent me an advance copy of the book to review, and as a shoe-a-holic and Zappos fan, I eagerly devoured it.
A Billionaire’s Background
If you’re interested in how Hsieh became a young billionaire, you won’t be disappointed. Hsieh spends a good amount of time detailing (in his best attempt to be self-deprecating) his childhood entrepreneurial spirit and ventures, his education at Harvard, and the business he co-founded, LinkExchange, and sold to Microsoft for $265 million.
After making a boatload of money, Hsieh and some of his former employees started a venture capital fund. Soon after launching the venture capital fund, Hsieh was contacted by Nick Swinmurn, who had just started ShoeSite.com, which would later become Zappos.
Lessons from Poker
Around the same time, Hsieh started playing a lot of poker. In one of the more “how-to” parts of the book, Hsieh offers a list of the lessons he learned from playing poker that could also be applied to business. Here are a few of the gems:
- Table selection is the most important decision you can make
- The guy who wins the most hands is not the guy who makes the most money in the long run
- Make sure your bankroll is large enough for the game you’re playing and the risks you’re taking
- Figure out the game when the stakes aren’t high
- Differentiate yourself. Do the opposite of what the rest of the table is doing
As Hsieh explains how he began investing in and getting more involved in the operation of Zappos, we learn how each of these poker lessons was put to use.
Nuts and Bolts
Here are some other lessons/themes from the book:
- Friends are important in creating a happy, successful business and life
- Zappos went through some dire financial times, and several times it was on the brink of shutting down due to lack of funding; at one point Hsieh had to liquidate most of his assets to get needed dollars
- Do not screw over Zappos – they will name you by name (hello, outsourced fulfillment center that didn’t do a great job); but if they love you, they’ll promote the heck out of you (UPS)
- How the company decided to brand through customer service and how it transformed the company
- Why the company is headquartered in Las Vegas
- The Zappos hiring and training program – examples and details
- If you focus on the “Wow” experience, eventually the press will pick up on it
Hsieh also describes the process of being acquired by Amazon, and detailed the employee questions and experience during that time.
Finding Happiness
The book ends with the explanation of the Zappos current vision and purpose: Delivering Happiness to the world. Hsieh hopes that he has inspired the reader to make “your customers, employees or yourself” happier.
Now, who can argue with that?
Review of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
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7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness: Power Ideas from America’s Foremost Business
May 15th
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7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness: Power Ideas from America’s Foremost Business Philosopher Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider… |
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More Money Not Key to Happiness
Apr 17th
Disclaimer: This post is just purely career advice for anyone starting out in their respective fields, whatever that may be …. I’ve experienced all of this personally and am merely sharing some things I think will make you happier and more successful in your work.
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I was reading this article on how to find the job you’ll love … and it’s loaded with great advice, but no. 4 really got me: “Ignore salary.”
As an employer, I want to pay our team well … I want them to be paid comparable to what their skills, commitment and their colleagues make. But we don’t just hand out money or raises or bonuses because they believe they deserve it … they, along with myself, have to earn it.
In general, and not just as an employer and boss, I’ve observed that some people think they are worth well more than they truly are. Just because you think you could make more money in another job doesn’t mean you’re willing to make the sacrifices and effort necessarily to do so.
The ones in this camp are the ones I’m aiming this post at.
They are the ones who will never make enough to satisfy their need for “more money.” They will generally flame out and leave their jobs. Or worse, get bitter because their unrealistic dreams don’t make their paycheck. They perpetually unhappy and it has drastic ripple effects on teams and companies.
Yes, you need to make sure you and your family can put food on the table and pay your bills. But I love this post by Penelope Trunk (one of my favorite career advice bloggers) says you need around $40K to be truly happy. (Of course it was written a couple of years ago, but generally, it still resonates.
Live within your means – I really struggle with people who live in America and can’t make it on very decent wages. The root of this is typically a skewed perspective on status. They think they deserve to live a richer lifestyle, and I’ve been guilty of it as well. But some of the happiest times in my marriage have been the times when we made the least … when we had one income, lived in an apartment and were extremely frugal with our money. We simply found some creative ways to enjoy and focus on each other. But even then, we lived a quality of life that millions of people around the globe only dream about.
Focus on quality of life – This is why I love living in Oklahoma. My money and salary go a lot further. Penelope moved to Wisconsin for a similar reason: quality of life. As I’ve traveled I’ve wondered how people in San Francisco or Boston make a living. I knew with enough commitment and work I could climb the latter at different organizations and make a lot of money. But I never wanted to make the sacrifices in my quality of life to get there. Confession: In the last couple of months, I’ve had to really assess my quality of life and ask myself, ‘Am I having fun?’ It’s not worth it. Trust me. I want to enjoy my work or else it’s simply a prison.
Find awesome work you’re passionate about – if you hate your work, you better be paid handsomely. But your paycheck is payment for pain and suffering and enduring your work, not enjoying it. If you love your work, you’ll generally be content with your pay and … yes, the money will come. Happy, passionate people are a joy to work with … and they do accomplish more. Everyone wins. Some on our team could be making substantially more than what they are making now. But we’ve tried to create an environment where it doesn’t matter because they love what they do and where the environment we provide …. to me, and maybe I’m biased, but that’s priceless. Some have turned down better offers to work here because of it.
Yes, you should be paid fairly – and by this I mean comparable to other colleagues and reasonable. Be realistic. If you really want to earn twice what you’re paid, count the cost of what it’d take to achieve that. I don’t know about you but my happiness is worth more than that. Employers should pay their employees fairly and adequately. One value I treasure and repeat often is … those who invest themselves in our business and team will be rewarded. I don’t know exactly how that shakes out. It’s not always money. Often it’s me buying their lunch … or just a verbal word of encouragement … or sending them on a fun, productive business trip.
If you aren’t happy, change it – I remember a coworker from one of my first jobs out of college. This coworker was habitually unhappy. No one wanted to be around them. I realized she had been working this job longer than I had been alive. She was stuck. In a rut with nowhere else to go. I vowed from that time forward to always enjoy my work or change it. Go somewhere else. But don’t get bitter. You’ll look at yourself in the mirror … and hate yourself. And when you look around you, no one will be there because no one wants to be around bitter people. If you don’t like what you’re doing, do everybody a favor and CHANGE IT.
Conclusion: More money is never the key to happiness. Just ask any miserable “6 figure salaried” person you thought of when reading this.
OK … just my two pennies worth.
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