Book Extract: Making flying a fun experience

Part of Southwest Airlines' success can be attributed to its philosophy of hiring, says a new book

In an industry long plagued by rising costs, poor customer service, dissatisfied workers, bankruptcies, and revolving-door leadership, one airline stands contrary to this pattern. Southwest Airlines has long enjoyed success and a dedicated customer following. They have enjoyed over forty years of profitability, stable leadership, and some of the industry's highest customer-service scores. There is a reason why Southwest is called the LUV airline. It is central to who they are.

Here is just one story that represents Southwest's unique customer service:

"She made me feel like I was the only passenger on the plane!" The attendant thought Katie looked scared and weak, and so she gave her a hug and told her that everything was going to be all right. And that was exactly what Katie needed right then, because Katie was 2000 miles from home as she boarded the Southwest Airlines flight that would take her to the city where she would have open-heart surgery. And the attendant didn't stop there. She found the hospital where Katie was having surgery and called to make sure that everything, in fact, was all right. Katie survived the surgery and will never forget the friendly face that emerged in a sea of strangers and gave her hope and comfort.

• Company: Southwest Airlines
• Founded: 1967
• Located: Dallas, Texas
• Profile: Southwest Airlines is the largest carrier in the United States, based upon originating domestic passengers carried. Along with subsidiary Air Tran, it has forty-five thousand employees, operates more than thirty-seven hundred flights per day, and operates scheduled service to ninety-seven destinations in forty-one states.

Part of Southwest Airlines' success revolves around their philosophy of hiring people with the right attitude (passion) and potential. While competency is an obvious requirement for such a regulated industry, they don't stop at how they do their jobs but continue with why and how to make flying a fun and engaging experience. The company places value on people being themselves (flexibility) at work. It is not unusual to see the pilot help clean the plane when a quick turnaround is required.

Southwest Airlines is perhaps best at recognising the next person in the process as their customer, and that begins with their employees. The employees will tell you that because the company treats them with respect, it is easy to treat the passengers with respect, and thus the employees take ownership of their duties. Not only do they take ownership of their duties - they also come together as a team when the pressure is on. They have put who they are out there in reality television shows that showcase what goes on day in and day out at Southwest Airlines. Communication is paramount in keeping planes flying and on time. It is also important between passengers and flight crews, ground crews, and ticket and gate agents. When a challenge arises, team members spring into action and solve it, usually right on the spot. Their communications are innovative in the way they convey safety greetings and announcements. You can see many examples of Southwest's innovative communications on YouTube.

Seek out the right mentors, co-workers who can help you achieve excellence: Harry Paul

Excellence is when we come to work with a perspective of how we would work and operate if we owned the company, co-author Harry Paul tells Ankita Rai

The book is an interesting parable on organisational excellence. What inspired you to write this book?
Our quest for excellence started in the 1980s. Over three decades later, the search still continues for many of us and, for others, the search is just beginning. I see too many willing to accept average when excellence is obtainable. This is what led us to write the book.

What specific attitudes and practices lead to excellence?
When we began this book, we initially identified multiple qualities of excellence. However, over the course of two and a half years, we vetted the number down to a few. We have identified the five qualities of excellence:

• Passion: It is a primary building block for excellence. It creates that zest inside us for life that causes us to smile even when circumstances are against us.
• Competency: Competency is not just the technical aspects of our work but it should also be in our relationships with one another.
• Flexibility: The only thing that remains constant is that everything changes. To achieve excellence you must understand that change happens and you need to look for practical and professional ways to adapt to the changes.
• Communication: Perception is everything and perception is primarily created by communication. When you understand that there is a delicate balance between listening and talking and that listening is more than just paying attention to the words, you are on a path to excellence.
• Ownership: Excellence is when we come to work with a perspective of how we would work and operate if we owned the company

‘Average’ can subtly creep into an organisation...
Take an honest assessment of your personal and professional life. Have you settled, compromised, given up or given in? Has the fool’s gold of average distracted you from true excellence? Imagine, working for a boss who strives to come to work every day with a positive mindset, who is very good technically at what he/she does and has great interpersonal skills. He/she consistently demonstrates flexibility in an ever-changing work environment. You experience flexibility, great communication and an ownership mentality with such a boss consistently. Now look in the mirror and envision those qualities in yourself. Be realistic about where the bar is in your current life and raise it. It must happen in your mind before it happens in your day to day life. Seek out the right mentors, experiences, courses, co-workers and friends who can help you on your journey to giving and being your best every day.

Harry Paul
Author and motivational speaker

Reprinted with permission from 'Who Kidnapped Excellence. What Stops Us from Giving and Being Our Best' by Harry Paul, John Britt & Ed Jent. Published by HarperCollins. All rights reserved.