To Copy the Cat or Not to Copy the Cat?
Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos is a business rock star as well he should be. He is changing the meaning and experience of work. Kudos. Along with others I have been shouting his praises over the past several months. But we are all missing the point if we attempt to copy Zappos. After all a copy cat is at best an imperfect replica of the original.
When Intel builds a first of it’s kind state of the art semiconductor plant they “copy exact” successive plants. When Japanese automakers began their rise, many U.S. companies studied the new competitors’ manufacturing processes and copied exact. Copy exact may work for manufacturing plants. It didn’t work for the auto industry and it won’t work for business leaders who should know the unique character and added value of their company, then play it to the max.
To Be Original Be True to Essence
Zappos is what it is because Tony Hsieh is who he is. His essence (described in chapter 1, part 1 of the Corporate Soul series) is the parent gene that gave birth to the Zappos culture. Tony builds social groups. He plays. He defies conventional wisdom. It’s what he does. And then he engages the community in building the community, playfully. So building the Zappos culture is now a community affair. Every employee contributes to defining the culture. And they do so as they play together.
No company will ever be exactly like Zappos, nor should they strive to be. Tony and Zappos Deliver Happiness.
What does your company deliver? And how do you discover what it is?
How to Uncover Essence
The essence of the founder(s) or early influencer(s) is the parent gene. The company culture grows, intentionally or unintentionally, from this DNA. Here are a few examples of company founders and how their essence infuses the culture.
Founder/Influencer Company Essence
Steve Jobs Apple Innovator, aesthetic beauty
Andy Grove Intel Fierce survivor, competition
Walt Disney Disney Creator, imagination
Yvon Chouinard Patagonia Lover of outdoors, adventure
Aligning with Essence
Essence, like the acorn, is present from the beginning, even before the tree is visible. In fact, it IS the beginning. But just as we no longer see the acorn in the tree, essence can also become invisible. At the individual level essence is found in what we have always loved, what we are drawn to like a magnet. It is an itch that won’t go away. It is what we return to over and over again. At the organizational level essence is heard in the founding stories and tales of the early years. It is the badge of honor pinned on company heroes. When companies intentionally align with essence as they grow, all is well. When they don’t a crooked tree grows in Brooklyn.
The right outsider, the one who listens and sees below the surface is well-positioned to uncover essence when insiders have lived with it so long that they no longer see it. So leaders be advised to invite a visitor, a deep listener, an anthropologist of sorts, to the corporate table every now and then.