The Morning Show with Mike & Susan

Twitter is a great networking tool and a fun, quick way to keep your friends updated on your day. However, can Twitter actually help you become a better person? Tony Hsieh is CEO of Zappos.com, the largest online shoe store – which grossed an astounding $1 BILLION last year. Hsieh is an avid Twitterer – his company uses the site for building more personal connections between employees and with customers. In fact, Zappos recently debuted on Fortune magazine’s annual “100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR” list. The article began and ended by talking about Zappos’s innovative use of Twitter and while Hsieh says this networking tool has huge business benefits, it’s also helped him grow personally. Here’s how:

• Transparency & values. Twitter begs the question, “What would you do differently if you were always being watched?” Hsieh has more than 200,000 people reading his tweets, so he is always being watched. If you were being constantly monitored, would you be friendlier and less judgmental? Hsieh says he’s constantly reminded of who he wants to be, and what he wants his company to stand for. He puts forth that image and message in his Twitter interactions.
• Reframing reality. Hsieh says he’s found that almost every “bad” situation is really an opportunity to entertain his followers with a clever post, which also forces him to view reality in a funnier, more constructive way. For example, when he got locked out of his hotel room on a business trip, he posted this message via his phone: “Went 2 my room after my speech, came out 2 balcony. Balcony door somehow locked behind me so now I am trapped outside.” He says the experience ended up being an enjoyable 45 minutes because of his followers’ responses to the situation.
• Gratitude. Hsieh says that anytime he notices something that would normally be inconsequential, the very act of tweeting forces him to spend some time appreciating what would have otherwise been ignored or forgotten. Because of that, he’s learned that every day, there are many opportunities to notice and appreciates the little things in life.