Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

"... they consider it to be a worthy objective."

We've been talking about Herb Kellehers determination not to try to wrest control from his people and the fact that he had never wanted or desired to ... or had control.

Let's look at something else that Kelleher said that was a key determinant in why this worked so great for Southwest (LUV).

He said: "We're looking for people who on their own initiative want to be doing what they're doing because they consider it to be a worthy objective."

There's a ton of stuff in that comment, but let's look at the "worthy objective" part of it, as it's more significant than is realized by most business leaders.

One of the things little understood by businesses is the greatness of the vision that the company represents. Whatever that vision is, it needs to be constantly held before and celebrated by our people. It would probably surprise and shock many managers how many problems this takes care of when it's truly embraced by the vast majority of people in a company.

Now in light of that, look at what else Kelleher said in his comment: It had to be something in the people in the first place. We've mentioned this before: Our people need to truly and from the heart believe in what we're doing. There is no need to control when our people are "true believers." There's no need to watch them either.

Think of impact this has and its simplicity. Have a great purpose; look for people that love that purpose; hire them; get out of their way; remove any obstacles in their path. Every bit of this is dependent on the successful communication of what it is that makes your company great. 

Define it, look for the right people, and then hire them. In essence that's what Kelleher did over and over again with Southwest. It proved to be a winning strategy.

Other Herb Kelleher Sources:

Special Event

Leadership: The Essential Herb Kelleher

The CEO as Brand Guardian

Herb's way

Speeches and Presentations from Southwest Leaders

Southwest Airlines: The Hottest Thing in the Sky

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