Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos at SXSW

This past March, the SXSWi opening keynote speech, presented by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, highlighted the importance of developing a strong company culture and explained his company’s revolutionary vision of customer service.

As I listened to Tony’s presentation, I found myself inspired by the fact that Zappos’ adherence to company culture and core values helped land them on Forbes list of Top 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2009.

Zappos’ philosophy of success is similar to that of OrgSync’s in many ways. Above all, we believe strongly in adhering to company culture and core values. At OrgSync, our success is driven by three core values: 1) Giving the customer the largest stake in the future of the OrgSync platform, 2) Empowering organizational leaders through technology, and 3) Making positive contributions to our communities.

First, as a hosted solution, we believe that development of a premiere product is best accomplished by giving our clients the largest stake. Every month, we encourage our clients to meet with our in-house development team to discuss new product ideas and trends. Through this method of communication, our development team is able to quickly design and implement new features for the entire client base to use. Moreover, OrgSync recently released an Application Programming Interface (API) that will provide campus IT departments the flexibility to create automated processes based on the needs and requirements determined by the school or organization. OrgSync also has a 24/7 customer support line that clients are encouraged to call whenever they need a question answered.

Eric and Jeff at NCLC

Second, OrgSync seeks to empower organizational leaders through technology. The OrgSync team has a strong background in higher education, and involvement in campus organizations. In fact, the very idea to create the OrgSync solution was generated from our co-founders’ experiences in running multiple student organizations at The University of Texas at Austin. Members of the OrgSync team are also regular attendees of the International Leadership Association Global Conference, the National Collegiate Leadership Conference, which is hosted on OrgSync, and the Lone Star Ruby Conference. OrgSync’s involvement in these conferences expresses commitment to innovation and leadership that will best serve OrgSync’s client base.

Lastly, OrgSync aspires to make positive contributions to the Austin tech community, and the communities of its clients. In February, OrgSync sponsored the Austin Twestival hosted by media maven Michelle Greer. Also, earlier this year, our company organized a daylong social media campaign on Twitter to raise over $1500 for Clean Water, whose objective is to provide sanitary water to natives of Africa.

OrgSync’s Cayce Stone uses the phrase “Everybody wins!” to summarize the OrgSync philosophy. By adhering strongly to these core values, OrgSync to provides a solution that makes management of your organization more efficient.

That following Monday morning, I received an email from Tony detailing where I could find more information about Zappos culture. He informed me that a copy of the Zappos Culture book I had requested would be arriving at my doorstep soon, and also extended an offer to visit the Zappos headquarters next time I am in Las Vegas. Thanks again Tony for being an excellent role model!

If you have been a part of the OrgSync community or a regular reader of our blog you have heard us talk about how the creators of OrgSync gained valuable leadership experience in college that lead to the development of OrgSync.  For this reason we are dedicated to providing students with opportunities for Leadership training and development. That is why we love working with the University of Arizona and the National Collegiate Leadership Conference (NCLC).

NCLC at UA

NCLC is a student-run annual conference that serves as the cornerstone of the leadership experience and training for hundreds of college students across the nation.  They have professional staff that advises them throughout the year, but overall the student leaders are completely responsible for organizing the annual conference.  Students recruit speakers, raise funds, manage logistics… and everything else involved in planning a national conference.

The entire conference was great, but Saturday was the highlight of the conference for us. On Saturday morning I presented an information session on social media and how leaders can leverage the power of social networks to allow their voice be heard.  Later that afternoon Eric had the opportunity to present “Leadership Lessons from a Young Entrepreneur.” Eric discussed how his leadership experience in college allowed him to successfully launch and manage OrgSync from the ground up.

Presenting OrgSync at NCLC

It was the first time Eric was able to present the “OrgSync story” to inspire and teach others the importance of getting involved and being a leader. Justin Jones and James Castrission were the keynote speakers at dinner and presented a truly inspirational presentation on how they completed the world’s first Kayak expedition from Australia to New Zealand across the Tasman Sea.  Their story about dedication, endurance, and perseverance was filled with important leadership lessons.  In many ways their story is like Eric’s and OrgSync.

Eric and Jeff with Justin and James

They chose an outdoor adventure, and Eric chose starting a company; both took on a great deal of risk, developed a strong team to support them on their adventure, and showed strong leadership skills.  We had a great time meeting these guys, and look forward to meeting up with them in the future.

OrgSync will continue to support the NCLC conference and any efforts that encourage leadership development and education to students.  We look forward to continue our long relationship with the University of Arizona, and working with them to support and develop new leadership development programs and initiatives.

21st Annual
National Collegiate Leadership Conference
Hosted at The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
February 13-15, 2009
Only $50!

Join us for the 2009 National Collegiate Leadership Conference in Tucson, Arizona!

The National Collegiate Leadership Conference is a 3-day leadership development experience for students and advisors on the beautiful campus of The University of Arizona. The 2009 conference, February 13-15 2009, will feature over 50 workshop sessions, a keynote banquet, teambuilding, networking, excursions, an awards banquet, service projects, and an opportunity to earn a leadership certificate. Register by January 25th for only $50 per person and receive a free conference t-shirt. After January 25th, registration will go up to $75.

NCLC is also excited to announce that James Castrission and Justin Jones will deliver our 2009 Conference Keynote Address. Justin and James were the first people to successfully kayak the Tasman Sea, “Crossing the Ditch” between Australia and New Zealand. Check out their story at www.crossingtheditch.com.au. The 2009 conference will also offer participants an opportunity to experience Tucson through one of many excursions. Take a hike in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, visit museums and galleries, or learn about the unique history of southern Arizona.

For complete information, including conference schedule and registration, please visit www.leadership-conference.org. For more information, please contact Tom Murray at tam@email.arizona.edu or 520-621-8046.