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Today, we're going to talk about culture and a great Texas company that started off as a very small business in an industry where even the giants weren't turning a profit. That small company turned into a huge company and it's turned a profit for 48 years straight and keeps going strong. I'm talking, of course, about Southwest Airlines. Keep in mind that this is an airline that turned a profit in 911 and had customers send them personal check to keep them going during the hard times, though, of course, Southwest never cashed them.
So how did Southwest do it? What was their secret?
Southwest not only turns a profit, but it's consistently ranked top notch in customer service and satisfaction. They achieved it by doing something bold, that flew in the face of conventional business wisdom at the time. They came out and boldly said that their employees were number one. You heard me right employees, not customers.
In fact, they went so far as to rank it. Number one employees, number two customers, and only number three stakeholders. Southwest believes that if they treat their employees right, employees will treat their customers right and they, in turn, will have more and better customers, which will make their shareholders happy.
Of course, Southwest tells its employees to put customers first just like most companies do. But they understand that employees that are happy and care for are more likely to go the extra mile and make the good decision that benefits the company. Today Southwest is known for happy pilots, funny flight attendants and fiercely loyal customers plus flights that get off the ground in record time making them millions. So take some time to think about who is number one, number two, and number three in your company and what you hope to achieve with that ranking. Then maybe focus some light on Southwest to see what all the culture hype is about and no they didn't pay me to say that.
So how did Southwest do it? What was their secret?
Southwest not only turns a profit, but it's consistently ranked top notch in customer service and satisfaction. They achieved it by doing something bold, that flew in the face of conventional business wisdom at the time. They came out and boldly said that their employees were number one. You heard me right employees, not customers.
In fact, they went so far as to rank it. Number one employees, number two customers, and only number three stakeholders. Southwest believes that if they treat their employees right, employees will treat their customers right and they, in turn, will have more and better customers, which will make their shareholders happy.
Of course, Southwest tells its employees to put customers first just like most companies do. But they understand that employees that are happy and care for are more likely to go the extra mile and make the good decision that benefits the company. Today Southwest is known for happy pilots, funny flight attendants and fiercely loyal customers plus flights that get off the ground in record time making them millions. So take some time to think about who is number one, number two, and number three in your company and what you hope to achieve with that ranking. Then maybe focus some light on Southwest to see what all the culture hype is about and no they didn't pay me to say that.
Be Great Every Day!
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