As you might have guessed, the above jingle was morphed from a scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This phrase reflects an attitude about work. When I read that sticker, I questioned how much the driver enjoyed their work. Probably not much. Then I wondered what their level of engagement was in their work. Do they give it their best? Hmmm…
One of the best examples I have observed of a team engaged in their work occurred on a flight from Phoenix to Chicago about 20 years ago. From the moment we entered the gate area, we could sense a high level of energy and excitement. It was easy to see that these people surrounding us liked their work. They were all smiling and having fun.
When we boarded the plane, that lively feeling continued. The flight crew was busy doing their work. They weren’t “whistling while they worked”, but they could have. I’ll bet it would have been permitted. When we were all seated, one of the flight attendants picked up the microphone and gave her speech:
“Welcome aboard flight #___ non-stop to Chicago. We will be serving dinner on this flight. I want you all to turn to page #29 of your in-flight magazine. In the right hand column you will find all the beverages and entres listed. We ask that you review these at this time (meaning now!) and make your selection. This will help our servers be more efficient. Please note, we are completely out of what do you have?
Everyone laughed. It was a fun flight. The crew was having fun and so were we. It is no wonder that the core values at Southwest Airlines are their employees, having fun, and customer service. (In that order)
