If you Look at the Numbers, Southwest is Doing Things Right
When we consider looking at numbers, there's one great thing about them: they tell an objective story of the subjective work being done on a daily basis within a company.
It's one of the reasons why some companies fail miserably when they attempt to make the numbers look differently than the story they're really telling.
Southwest had positive quarterly profits year after year because it wasn't the numbers that they focused on, the numbers simply measure how well they were doing.
To me looking at and reading numbers is important. They will tell the true story of the company, but they tell only a part of the story. They tell you how well you did, but not necessarily how well you could have done. So numbers have to be kept in perspective.
Nonetheless, when you perform positively year after year in an industry most considered commoditized, you can be sure that the strategy that is being used was right.
So when we look at the numbers, they can cause us to pat ourselves on the back, and there's nothing wrong with that, but at the same time we need to realize that it doesn't mean that we performed at our best. Numbers never tells us a complete picture and never will be able to.
As long as we're going forward, I don't think we need to be too overly concerned about the numbers, they'll take care of themselves if we take care of executing the purpose of the company.
Other Herb Kelleher 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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