When it’s fun to come to work!
Earlier this month, I flew with Southwest Airlines from Houston to Dallas and back to Houston. One thing struck me very clearly: the employees—all the employees—of Southwest Airlines who interacted with me seemed happy. That is to say, they are happy relative to any other airline I have flown in the last few years, and maybe even seem happy relative to most companies or organizations I interact with overall as a consumer.
I have flown with some elite airlines like Qatar Airways who repeatedly receive international awards, and their flight attendants and employees are very cordial and kind. Still, the Southwest Airlines employees are happier—you can just see it. It’s worth noting that because the pilots and flight attendants are happy, I visibly see that their passengers are happy, too. I know I felt happier just being there.
It’s no secret that many books have been written about Southwest Airlines because of its culture and people-focused approach. WesMD had the honor of hosting Dr. David Reyes at Coffee with Dr. Wes recently. David is director of training at Southwest Airlines, and he confirmed how focused Southwest is on their people.
Should it matter to us as leaders whether or not employees are happy? Does it have any effect on the bottom line? Absolutely, it matters! Absolutely, it affects the bottom line!
Generating employee happiness matters because it is the right thing to do. Leadership and entrepreneurship are exceedingly more than a mere vehicle to make money, achieve success, or chase accomplishments. Leadership is a mission to impact lives. Christ-followers then should have businesses that employ happy people, not simply for the sake of happiness, but because happiness stems from an environment in which people are valued, appreciated, and empowered. This is and must be our calling, not to make people happy merely on the surface, but to cause them to be fulfilled, growing, and rising in who they are as human beings and as professionals.
By extension, when people are happy, they naturally treat customers with warmth and kindness, thereby positively affecting the bottom line. I’m not talking about ignoring business in lieu of creating a country club experience at work. No, we do business and empower people. Both qualities are important to success.
Kudos to Southwest Airlines for maintaining such a happy, positive culture, built with intention by their founder, Herb Kelleher. May we be inspired to make the same commitment in the companies we lead.
