A Radical Idea: Try Listening to Your Customers
I was very struck today by an article in a local London paper, the Islington Tribune, on the special customer service award given to a local corner shop.
happy people
Henry Stewart, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer
Henry is founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy Ltd, originally set up as Happy Computers in 1987. Inspired by Ricardo Semler’s book Maverick, he has built a company which has won multiple awards for some of the best customer service in the country and being one of the UK’s best places to work.
Henry was listed in the Guru Radar of the Thinkers 50 list of the most influential management thinkers in the world. "He is one of the thinkers who we believe will shape the future of business," explained list compiler Stuart Crainer.
His first book, Relax, was published in 2009. His second book, the Happy Manifesto, was published in 2013 and was short-listed for Business Book of the Year.
You can find Henry on LinkedIn and follow @happyhenry on Twitter.
Get in touch
Business is About Relationships: Make People Feel Good Today
Think about the people you work with - those who work with you and your customers and your suppliers. Where could you make more of a real personal connection that would make life better for you and them?
Focus on Making Your Staff Happy
People work best when they’re happy at work. That principle is the core of everything we do at Happy (a training business in London, UK). Think about whether you agree with it. If you do, and I find over 95% of people do, then what should be the key focus of management? By simple logic, it should clearly be creating an environment where people are happy and feel good about themselves.
Our Most Radical Belief on Management
I often say that our most radical belief at Happy is this: you should decide who should manage people based on how good they are at managing people.
Let People Choose Their Managers
Imagine one of your most valued members of staff comes to you and says, 'I love my job. I love the people I work with. I am even happy with what I am being paid. But I can't stand my manager.'
Pre-Approve It!
What is the key to creating a happy workplace? I’ve just a written a book with what I see as the 10 key principles of a great workplace but for me one thing stands out.
Trust the Crowd: Launching the Happy Manifesto
The Happy Manifesto has been launched for a week, and so far we’ve sold just over 500 copies. That is not going to get The Happy Manifesto into the best seller charts but it is 10% of the print run and enough to pay off 80% of the total production costs – which is nice given that we self-published it.
Launch of The Happy Manifesto with Action for Happiness
Only 2% of people say they work just to pay the bills, for 90% being happy a work is important. Yet over half of Brits are unhappy at work.
Opinion Poll: People Want to be Happy at Work
I was involved in an opinion poll last month which asked office workers "how important is it for you to be happy at work?"
Almost Half of Office Workers Want to Change Their Manager
Of those expressing a view, 47% of UK office workers would change their manager if they could.
