Last month I read a headline that made me sad and joyous at the same time. The headline read, “Maverick Founder of Southwest Airlines dies at 87”. Herb Kelleher was a true maverick, and that is an understatement.
Years ago I was on a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Chicago. As the flight began, the flight attendant took to the microphone. She said, “Welcome aboard. We will be serving beverages on this flight, and soon our servers will be coming by. At this time, I want everyone to open up their in-flight magazine and turn to page #29. Got it? OK, now go to the right column. There you will see listed all the beverages we offer. Now I would like you to go through this list, and choose what beverage you would like. Is everybody with me? Good. And remember, we are completely out of, What do you have?”
That’s Southwest. Who else would have the nerve? As I reflected on that moment, I realized that they were following in true order of their values. Here are their top three in order:
Have fun.
Love your employees
Love your customers.
So how come we customers ended up in third place? Herb Kelleher knew that having fun and treating your people right was the way to have a loyal following. Beyond that, he did have a quirky priority: He looked for people who had strong personalities. The whiskey-drinking, cigarette-smoking fellow just couldn’t settle for his folks saying “Have a nice day” in monotone. The Southwest Airlines Crew: They may excite you, they may infuriate you, but they will never bore you. One more thing: In the 20 years he was at the helm, Southwest made a profit every year, and they continue to do so. Are you a maverick?
