Zappos and Company Culture: Why Different Works

You may already be familiar with the Zappos CEO’s unique hiring practices.

Talent isn’t the ultimate criteria to Tony Hsieh, the company’s CEO. His values are actually elsewhere. While talent has its merits to the CEO, he places particular emphasis on applicants that fit into the company mantra. They must fit into the 10 tenets set out by the company.

Essentially, the employees must meet certain baseline talent requirements. But thereafter, they need to have the necessary tools to integrate into the staff. The CEO also offers a buyout to his newest employees. He reasons that, if they’re not interested in working for the company, they should be weeded out for their lack of dedication.

Assuming you go through the startup recruitment phase without any hiccups, through employee development, you can always guide your employees toward where you want them to be. Your operational management will take care of itself when you’re making the right hires. And that’s what Zappos has banked on. For more on this subject, read the full article by Gregory T. Huang.