Jenn Lim

CEO of Delivering Happiness
Creator of First Culture Book for Zappos
Co-founder of Delivering Happiness

Jenn Lim is the CEO of Delivering Happiness (DH), a company she and Tony Hsieh (the late CEO of Zappos.com) co-founded to create happier company cultures for a more profitable and sustainable approach to business. Delivering Happiness started as a book (New York Times and WSJ Bestseller which sold one million copies worldwide) and evolved into a business consultancy and global movement that has impacted and inspired companies and organizations around the world. 

In her new book BEYOND HAPPINESS: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose and People for Growth and Impact, Jenn draws on her decades of experience in culture and strategy to translate it into a practical “how-to” framework for more sustainable workplaces and modern organization design. She guides all of us – no matter our title or role – on how to live more meaningful lives through the work we do every day. 

Jenn’s mission is both simple and profound: to teach businesses how to create workplaces—led with happiness and humanity—that generate more profit, sustain all people at every level of the organization, and share how we can make an impact by being true to our authentic selves.

In 2017, Jenn was selected to be on the Global Happiness Council of Work and Wellbeing and in 2020, Delivering Happiness [DH] was placed on the Inc. 5000 list, becoming one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US. Jenn helped create the world’s first series of Culture Books at Zappos.com and has been featured in [Fox Business, Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, The World Happiness Report, The Guardian, Fast Company, Thrive Global, and more]. You can find Jenn speaking at events [such as Facebook, McDonald’s, Pixar, World Government Summit, SHRM] around the globe [and in Zoomland], on podcasts like The Dave Ramsey Show and Don Miller’s Building a Storybrand, working with organizations to create positive change in the world, or starting spontaneous dance parties with her friends and family. Jenn lives in the Oakland Hills, CA.

WELCOME TO THE NEW WORKPLACE: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE FOR PEOPLE, GROWTH, ADAPTABILITY, AND IMPACT?    

We’re working and living in the new ab(norm). The world has changed, and the “future of work” arrived sooner than anyone expected. With change happening all around us, it’s more important than ever to bring your team engaged, aligned, and (beyond) happy.

In this session, Jenn will share the greenhouse elements every workplace needs to fully adapt and thrive first as individuals and then as a team. Gain the framework necessary for your team to stay connected, communicate effectively, and feel purposeful in the work they do every day while enhancing the customer experience and employee engagement.

Defining questions of our time:

• How might we find meaning and create a positive impact in our work and communities — regardless of the challenges the world throws our way?
• How might individuals make a bigger impact on business growth and success? 
• How might companies modernize org design so we can each do our best work because we love it?

REAL TALK ON RECRUITING + RETAINING TOP TALENT: WHAT DRIVES RESIGNATIONS, AND WHAT DO EMPLOYEES WANT MOST?

Employees are self-selecting and “speaking with their feet” for more than just a paycheck. While the way we work keeps shifting between in-person, remote, and hybrid, employees are jumping ship for their own reasons. As leaders, we need to understand the root causes and why it’s not just about more pay or a big benefits package anymore.

In this session, Jenn will uncover what’s needed inside every culture to attract and retain top talent. She’ll also share real-life case studies of organizations successfully building cultures that keep employees coming back, showing up fully, and performing their best.

How can we:

• Evolve transactional relationships into meaningful ones by creating triple wins (benefitting yourself, your teams, and the community at large at the same time)?
• Create organizations that treat people as assets, not expenses?
• Strategize for long-term (not just short-term) gain?

BRINGING HUMANITY TO WORK: GET REAL WITH OURSELVES AND OUR TEAMS FOR A MORE WHOLE, AUTHENTIC WORKPLACE

When we show up authentically at work, we can bring our whole selves, which benefits everyone on the team. When leaders encourage others to bring their whole selves and unique perspectives to each situation, solutions are created, innovation happens, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging flow naturally.

Jenn will inspire you and your team to show up authentically and embrace the highs and lows in work/life. Leaders who create a genuine, inclusive work environment know it’s not just the “right thing to do,” they know it’s also creating more profits and purpose in the world. When we get real with ourselves THAT’S when happiness and humanity come alive.

How can we:

• Create systemic environments where we all meaningfully connect and feel a sense of belonging? 
• Cultivate people ecosystems that bring happiness, embrace wholeness, and nurture new ways to feel more human at work?
• Stop focusing on doing things right for efficiency and focus on doing the right things for people?

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? WHAT’S IN IT FOR ALL? REFRESH AND REALIGN PURPOSE + VALUES

It’s no secret that core values are essential to culture and success. The majority of companies have defined their values. But do those values still ring true and represent the company you are today? And, do your employees align and live these values daily? What purpose is driving your team’s success?

In this session, Jenn will share the significant impact teams experience when individuals define their personal values and ladder those up to the organizational values. She’ll share her values journey from life BC (Before Covid) to life AC (After Covid) and how those values may have changed. When we know our values, we realize how our decisions impact our lives and the organization as a whole for better or worse. 

How can we simultaneously answer:

• What are the ways we can imbed and live purpose + values so they’re not meaningless words on the wall?   
• What’s in it for ME?   
• What’s in it for ALL? (teams, customers, and our ecosystem)

WHAT’S BEYOND HAPPINESS? 

Since the world hit reset in 2020, people have been asking: 

• What are the things most important to me?
• Am I living an authentic life that’s true to myself and not what others expect of me?
• How do I know if I’m spending the minutes of my day meaningfully?
• Whether you lead a company, teams, or your own work/life, it’s time to get to the core of who you are, live the purposeful life you want, and ripple your impact to people in your business and beyond.

In this session, Jenn shares why it’s time to redefine happiness, the role that life’s highs and lows play, and how we’re more resilient when we live with happiness and humanity. She’ll define what it means to take care of your greenhouse as you grow others and explain the new concept of the double ROI — return on investment and ripple of impact.

When we apply the learnings from Beyond Happiness, we wake up knowing, regardless of what bad news might be in the headlines that day, that we’re grounded in our internal worlds. That we’re putting our time and talents to the best use, in service of ourselves and everyone we touch in our ecosystems.

ME + WE + COMMUNITY: FLOWING BEYOND HAPPINESS IN RETAIL TO UNLEASH HUMAN POTENTIAL FOR A PURPOSEFUL + POSITIVE ROI (RIPPLE OF IMPACT)  

At every defining moment in the consumer life cycle, there are opportunities to create a strong positive (or negative) brand experience, and those moments start with the employee. When we create a triple win—people are supported as individuals, teams/customers are supported, and businesses are more successful.

In this session, Jenn shares how as leaders, we can adapt to change, be profitable and purposeful, support all people and our stakeholders (spoiler alert…it starts with your greenhouse first). When we nurture our greenhouse, we can then nurture others and create a ripple effect that positively impacts our whole ecosystem of people.

Starting with the employee means embracing with purpose and values the entire life cycle of humans, not just the time they spend on the clock. She’ll share real-world examples of organizations applying these greenhouse elements which led to happier customers, more brand loyalty, and more profitable, impactful businesses.

The bottom line is when values, purpose, and behaviors align a positive ripple of impact flows from the individual to team and company to customers, partners, vendors, and even the society and planet.