The Miracle of Zappos - A good book.
I read "The Miracle of Zappos" (Tokyo Book Publishing Co., Ltd.) through someone's introduction.
Zappos is the name of an American online store company.
It was acquired by Amazon last year.
It has grown as an Internet company in a completely opposite way to Amazon.
Amazon, a company growing through thorough IT
Zappos, is an IT company with a thorough philosophy, people-oriented and service-oriented.
The company I founded in 1995 set forth its philosophy almost as soon as it was founded.
"A business that shares inspiration."
A company without a philosophy cannot grow.
No company can survive without profit.
This philosophy was unique in the restaurant industry at the time.
Needless to say, this philosophy influenced the surrounding companies.
The company's management was centered on its corporate philosophy.
In 2001, the company went public, and I think it took almost as long as the shortest record at the time (6 years and 2 months).
At that time, I wanted to build a company like this, and I always kept a book as my bible, "The Unbreakable" (Southwest Airlines), as a guidebook.
(Southwest Airlines), a book (I wrote about it on my blog before) that I always kept on my desk and read over and over again. It is now in tatters.
I admired Herb Kelleher's humanistic management.
Reading "The Miracle of Zappos" this time brought back my passionate thoughts of those days after a long time.
What this company is trying to do is exactly what I want to do.
I wanted to create such a company with the same passion back then as I do now.
Every time I read the book, I wondered (with all due respect) if there is a business manager who is running a business with so many of the same ideas as myself,
I would love to meet Tony Shay, the CEO.
In the future, the source of growth of corporate management will be people, and it goes without saying that the corporate philosophy that serves as the foundation of that growth is important.
It is the foundation on which employees base their daily work on which the company makes its final decisions.
There are many philosophies that are merely "add-ons" to the company's philosophy.
It is not enough to copy the philosophy of another company.
Unless the management truly and sincerely believes in the philosophy, it is a mere shell.
There are many companies that have a fine philosophy but end up with the manager's self-satisfaction.
When it comes to philosophy, there is no such thing as "real intention" and "front.
Only true intentions are necessary.
It is better to put the manager's sense of life and the way he or she has lived up to now directly into the philosophy.
Do not imitate. Do not borrow from others. Do not put up something that you do not think.
If you don't have true feelings, the surface that you have mended (tatemae) will peel off someday.
Employees will not follow you.
It does not have to be a cool philosophy.
It only has to contain the manager's thoughts.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Ishizuka
Assentia Holdings Inc
Akira