Massive Income

Places in the Heart

Southwest Airlines’ courage to talk openly about love as a central emotional theme for the company is also unprecedented, and although that may sound hokey, it has created a degree of caring for Employees and Customers that has made both groups more loyal to the company. From the NYSE ticker symbol (LUV) to the hearts that abound in company visuals and communications, Southwest is not shy about the role of love in its success. The company began at Dallas’ Love Field and for years used the tag line, “The airline that love built”. One of the company’s recognition programs for Employees who demonstrate the Southwest Spirit is called “Heroes of the Heart”, and the monthly Employee newsletter is entitled LUVLines. This is not mere image making on Southwest’s part; they live these values and believe deeply in them. It shows in the cards Colleen Barrett sends to Employees on their birthdays and other special occasions. It shows in the Employee Catastrophic Fund, in which Employees can donate a portion of their paychecks if they wish, and the money is distributed to Employees who have faced a devastating tragedy like a house fire or tornado. It even shows in Southwest’s policy not to respond to Customer communications via email, which they consider too impersonal. Instead, when Customers send an inquiry or question, the company responds to each inquiry with an individually researched and prepared letter that responds to every one of the Customers’ questions. Southwest Airlines never sends out form letters.

People can copy our fares. They can copy how many flights we have between cities. And they can tell their people to tell jokes and read funny scripts. All those things can be programmatically put in place, but you can’t force someone to be nice if they haven’t had any modeling of that, or any training for it, or any rewards for doing it.

–Joyce Rogge, Southwest Airlines

It shows, too, in the role fun plays at Southwest Airlines. People are hired in part because they enjoy life and don’t take themselves too seriously. Herb Kelleher’s antics are legendary (dressing as Elvis, for instance, or as an Arab sheik), but he’s not alone. When he stepped down as CEO and his functions were taken over by Jim Parker and Colleen Barrett (see Figure 10-2), someone asked Jim how they were going to handle succeeding Herb, and he replied, “Well, Colleen’s going to handle the smoking, and I’m going to handle the drinking”.^[19] Much of Southwest’s lightheartedness centers on planned social events: annual chili cook-offs, spirit parties, Halloween celebrations, and deck parties. However, the spirit of fun is also casual and spontaneous: decorating work areas with family and Employee photos, creating games to entertain passengers at the gates and during flights, breaking into song, telling jokes, and holding impromptu birthday celebrations. Being wild and crazy is an art form at Southwest. People don’t have to be comedians to work at Southwest, but it isn’t discouraged either. The emphasis is on being yourself, being genuine, and being free to have a good time while you are working and serving others. More than most other companies we have seen, Southwest Airlines understands the value of fun and caring, and it encourages both organizational and individual behaviors that manifest those values. Clearly, this creates an environment in which interpersonal and exceptional BDs are more likely to occur.

Figure 10-2: Jim Parker, Herb Kelleher, and Colleen Barrett. When Kelleher stepped down as CEO in 2001, Parker became CEO and Barrett became president and COO. This experienced leadership team continues to drive behavioral differentiation at Southwest.

Taken From : Winning Behavior-What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently