Why We Went Zany for Zappos—And What It Says About Us

Posted by Bill - May 27th, 2008

Every so often, writers click with their audience in ways they never expect—and learn something important in the process. I’ve had that experience over the last week or so, when a short item I posted here, and on my “Game Changer” blog for Harvard Business Online, spread across the media landscape like wildfire, generating all sorts of attention on the Internet, landing on a national radio program, even being featured in the pages of The New York Times and other major newspapers.

The post featured thoughts about Zappos, the fabulously successful online shoe retailer and the quit-now bonus it offers to new hires. When Zappos hires new employees, it provides a four-week training period that immerses them in the company’s strategy, culture, and obsession with customers. After a week or so in this immersive experience, though, it’s time for what Zappos calls “The Offer.” The company says to its newest employees: “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus.” Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit! Why? Because if you’re willing to take the company up on the offer, you don’t have the sense of commitment Zappos is looking for.

When I wrote about The Offer, I thought it was interesting because of how it applied to companies: Should more organizations pay their people to quit? But I’m convinced that my blog post generated so much attention because readers began to apply it to themselves: How big a “bribe” would I accept in order to stop doing what I am doing—and what does my answer say about how satisfied I am with my position and career?

As it turns out, that’s a question some high-powered business thinkers have asked as well. Jim Collins, one of the world’s most influential strategy gurus, began Good to Great, his record-shattering bestseller about corporate performance, with a story about what he did as he was finishing the manuscript. He went for a long run up a steep trail in Colorado, stopped to enjoy the view, when, he says, an “odd question” popped into his head: “How much would someone have to pay me not to publish Good to Great?” As the hypothetical price got higher and higher, and he still was prepared to publish the book, he finished his “interesting thought experiment” and came down from the trail convinced about his enthusiasm for the project.

So, in the spirit of the zany folks at Zappos, and the classic work of Jim Collins, perhaps it’s time to think seriously about how you would answer that question: How much money would it take for you to walk away from your company and your colleagues? Would your answer surprise your friends and family because the price is so high? (Meaning that you love what you do.) Or does the answer make you uncomfortable because the price is so low? (Meaning that your current job is selling you short.)

There’s no right answer, of course. But the answer may help you to figure out if your current job is truly right for you.

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