By Matt Kosec
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts I have ever received was an invitation to serve as a Customer-Member of the often storied and celebrated Southwest Airlines Companywide Culture Committee. A word of caution to the multitudes of fiercely loyal Southwest Customers: Please do not get excited and attempt to send an application for this position. You see, this entire Customer-Member concept happened very uniquely. After many years flying Southwest and experiencing a consistently high level of Servant Leadership at all levels, Ann McGee-Cooper wrote a letter asking to come inside the company to learn how they achieved such an extraordinary culture of unmatched service, leading with a servant’s heart, warrior spirit and fun-Luving attitude. Ann’s passion was servant leadership and she consistently found amazing examples of how powerful and contagious it can be. She was invited by Colleen Barrett, now President Emeritus of SWA, to join the Culture Committee. This was 1990, before I was even licensed to drive.
While there is the occasion for Ann, Carol (Ann’s business Partner), or me to convey the perspective of Southwest’s Customer, the majority of the time I serve as an eager student of organizational leadership and I assure you there is no better learning lab than the Culture Committee. While the Culture team does a masterful job of ensuring the meetings are engaging and fun, there is always a focus on the intense work that is required to remain the nation’s largest and consistently profitable airline. A mainstay of the meetings is the executive panel. Top leaders, including CEO Gary Kelly, sit in panel formation and discuss pressing issues, organizational priorities, and future dreams. But the most compelling portion of the executive panel is the question and answer. Anyone in the room, regardless of formal organizational stature, is welcome to ask questions, and after two years I have heard some very tough questions respectfully asked.
Robert Greenleaf reminded us that organizations will never be perfect as they are composed of imperfect people. Southwest is humbly aware of their challenges and opportunities for improvement. The Culture Committee is an excellent display of how the People of Southwest are maturely aware of imperfections in the willingness of Members to ask very tough questions of their leaders. But they do it in a way that isn’t poking, isn’t prodding, and isn’t designed to achieve an agenda. Well, perhaps there is an agenda: To make their Company even better. Even more impressive is the response from the leaders. Never once has it seemed that the executive perceived their stature or role as being challenged. They seem to always assume good will, as demonstrated by their sometimes surprisingly transparent answers. For example, requests from Culture Members that are simply not feasible are not answered with political dancing – the leaders simply respond that it is not going to happen, but then they take the time to explain why. Good ideas are not responded to with, “We’ll look into that.” The leaders respond with the name of the person to whom they are going to assign and promise follow-up. In the end, Culture Members do not always receive the responses they desire, but they always seem to be listened to and heard.
To be sure, certain individual business leaders and executives have distinguished themselves with humility and an ability to connect to their Employees. But Southwest has made it a part of their culture. This is how collective intelligence is tapped, trust is fostered, and amazing outcomes are achieved. The big challenges are not the sole responsibility of top leaders. Nor is execution the sole function of the front-line. Titles and org-chart responsibilities dissolve into a collective focus on the success of the company. Could you imagine the potential that is released once the over 200 Culture Committee Members return to their stations and workgroups?
The magic that happens on the Southwest Airlines Culture Committee did not develop overnight. But, regardless of your place in your organization, you can act like the Culture Committee tomorrow. Start by assuming good will. If you are a top leader, assume the challenging question is being asked not to pursue a personal agenda, but because it really is a problem that you and your employee could be working on, all for the health of the company. Or maybe you are on the front-lines of your organization. Do not be timid and allow problems to fester until they cause failure. Ask that challenging question, assuming good will that you will be heard. This type of relationship may not start overnight, but if it isn’t even attempted it is guaranteed not to start. No matter where you are on the org-chart – start tomorrow and just maybe you’ll be surprised. Please let me know how it works out: Matthew.Kosec@gmail.com
"Ann's influence on our organization was a critical element in our being recognized as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America."