"Rather than trying to predict what we'll do, we try to define who we are and what we want."
Kelleher made an extraordinary statement one time that has amazing implications if it's understood. He said: "Rather than trying to predict what we'll do, we try to define who we are and what we want."
What he was getting at here was the fact that life itself is chaotic. To make preditions in any industry, especially the airline industry which is notorious for its unpredictability, was futile. So Kelleher and his people simply didn't do it.
The power inherent in his statement concerning 'defining who we are,' is that no matter what changes happen, they'll know what to do if they know who they are. Powerful, yet simple.
His finishing comment about 'what we want,' is the same. It sounds contradictory at first, because one thinks of the future when you hear the words, 'what we want.' But what he was saying wasn't referring to goals or strategies, but values and purpose.
There was something Southwest (LUV) wanted as a company that, just like 'who they were,' would determine what direction they would take when various options or opportunities presented themselves.
Does this sound stiffling? It may on the surface, but when you see it, it is powerful. In reality, it sets workers free to try all sorts of things because they know whether it's what the company exists for and what it wants. Another way of putting it would be that within the objective, the subjective can have all sorts of possibilities and variants.
It's also a great filter to know whether something should be given time and money to or should be passed up on.
Other Herb Kellerher Sources:
ENTREPRENEURS: BORN OR MADE? A CONVERSATION WITH HERB KELLEHER OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Herb Kelleher An Entrepreneur For All Seasons
Herb Kelleher: The Thought Leader Interview
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» Herb Kelleher: The Method to His Madness from BizzBites.com
A very good look at how Kelleher and Southwest viewed planning for the future. [Read More]
Tracked on: February 3, 2007 8:54 PM | Permalink to Trackback