Flying with LUV, Called to Care
A recent article on forbes.com looked at Southwest Airlines
(stock symbol LUV) and the keys to that company’s success. The article said the
airline has been profitable for 45 consecutive years for a number of reasons:
- “Good management
- Understanding the lane
they want to compete in, and sticking to it
- A relentless effort to
ensure customer (as in passenger) satisfaction
- An even more relentless
effort to ensure employee satisfaction”
Focusing on the fourth point, the article sums up a
presentation by Steve Goldberg, Senior Vice-President of Operations and
Hospitality for Southwest. The writer says:
“Goldberg’s wisdom on creating a ‘Culture of Excellent
Hospitality’ was…quite simple. He broke it down into three areas:
- Know your people: Start with your
employees. How welcome do you make them feel? Do you genuinely care about
your fellow employees? Southwest refers to co-workers as ‘cohearts,’
playing off the word cohorts, in total alignment with their ‘love’ vision.
- Listen: Listening ties back to
knowing your people. Listen to their stories. Ask them questions and learn
about what makes them excited and motivated. When you listen, you learn,
and you become a more effective coach and mentor when you understand what
drives your people.
- Empowerment: When you empower
people, customers don’t hear, ‘It’s policy.’ Empowerment makes employees
feel appreciated. Provide employees the ability to act and appreciate them
for those actions. It builds team confidence.”
Called to Lead, Section One, reminds us that “As leaders, we
have a sacred privilege to cultivate and evoke the very best in those we lead –
to help them become the full expression of God’s vision for their life and for
their service.” The practices suggested by Southwest Airlines help us to do
this for the people we serve, as we come to know them, listen to them, and
empower them to answer the Call to Care for our patients and their families.
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