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What Do People Do When They Are Leading

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What Do People Do When They Are Leading
What Do People Do When They Are Leading
Brenda L. Williams-Capers
Dr. Eddie Montgomery
Lithonia Campus
BUS-520 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
June 2, 2013
Strayer University

Abstract
This paper will analyze the leadership style and philosophy, of Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, an on-line footwear and clothing retailer that has become a gold standard for customer service and company culture. The paper will also analyze how Tony Hsieh's leadership style aligns with the culture, and examine his personal and organizational values. It will also examine how those values are likely to influence ethical behavior within the organization.

Tony Hsieh: What Do People Do When They Are Leading
Tony Hsieh got his start as the co-founder of Linkexchange, an online adverting company. At the age of 24 he sold LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265 million. After the sell of LinkExchange, Tony Hsieh founded Venture Frog, an investment fund, of which Zappos an on-line footwear retailer was one of the first investments. In 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon for 1.2 billion, where Tony Hsieh remained as CEO in order to maintain the company's culture. We focus on making sure we have a great service-focused culture. If you get the culture right, then a lot of really amazing things happen on their own (Hsieh,2010). Tony Hsieh is also an author of the New York Times best seller, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits,Passion,and Purpose. which details his life as an entrepreneur with emphasis on founding LinkExchange and Zappos. Under his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales form $1.6 M in 2000 to over $1 billion om 2008 by focusing relentlessly on customer service (Zappos, 2013).
Tony Hsieh's Leadership Style and Philosophy
Tony Hsieh has a transformational leadership style because he is charisma, inspiration,intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration for the employees of Zappos. Tony Hsieh focuses on developing a corporate


References: About.zappos.com, 2013 Dell,Jason. 9 Questions: Tony Hsieh, Zappos, Jun 13, 2013. Dick, Richards; At Zappos, Culture Pays. Retrieved from: HTTP//:strategy- business.com/article/10311?g Dirk,Desmond, Strength & Weaknesses of Leadership. Retrieved from HTTP//: ehow.com/facts_750337_strength-weakness-of-leadership. Hollender,Jeffery, Lessons we can all learn from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. Retrieved from: Http//: www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh Hsieh,Tony. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. Apr 16, 2012
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