Happiness a Problem? Stop that Happiness!
Here's what I found utterly amazing about the story. They interviewed a woman from Fortune magazine who said some very nice things about Zappos but then also said that having too many happy people working for you could be a risk. That their happiness could cause them to not see everything - like that being happy causes you to have blinders on.
I find this to be ridiculous. Is she suggesting we either 1) hire some miserable people so we can get their unique point of view or 2) make some of the happy people miserable?
Happy and engaged employees can, if they choose, be instrumental in helping the organization seek, measure and consider the information they need to make the company better. Happy people can lead the way in learning about what's not working and can show dissatisfied customers empathy. They can LOVE their work and company while vigorously being dissatisfied with the aspects of the work that need to change.
Happy employees a risk? I wonder if the lady from Fortune instantly realized how silly her comments seemed and regretted saying them or if she honestly feels this way. I hope it's the former, for her sake. What life must feel like when you convince yourself that happy employees might not be able to be balanced, business focused, and able to channel their satisfaction to get whatever needs to happen to help the organization succeed.
It's a nutty, nutty, world....
I do get it that the Zappos culture is not for everyone. But let's not assume that this highly charged culture can't be nimble and serious if and when needed. After all, this company was not always a success. They struggled for some time to become profitable and many of these same happy people were instrumental in helping the organization make tough decisions and improve their business.
My 2 cents. Smile on zapponians!
Published by Dewesh Singh
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