A630.3.3.RB A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee
Being here in the Dallas – Fort Worth area has its’ share of success stories, and Southwest Airlines is one many folks around town are proud of. I myself during my Corporate Training days has the unique pleasure of interviewing Herb Kelleher, the former CEO for the airlines while I was rolling out a Servant Leadership seminar for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. He led by example and the airline employees were empowered to have equal shares in the success of the organization. For those outside of the metroplex, Southwest Airlines (SWA) is known as the low fare carrier that delivers more than just a ‘welcome aboard’ speech. Ask most anyone who has flown Southwest and chances are you will find someone who has experienced their company culture. From smiling faces and silly songs as you taxi to the gate, you don’t just feel like a number to them you feel like a part of their company. A part of this always cheerful attitude is in how the employees are treated by each other and by management. In the video one of the major comments that stuck out for me was the flight attendant explaining the Culture Committee. She said it was employees appreciating employees. How many employees can say that about where they work? This statement is what makes SWA a great place to work because they are all about that culture.
Having the Culture Committee is a big part of establishing the cultural norms of SWA. Giving the flight attendants a small break by cleaning the plane for them and giving them small snacks is just one way to say thanks for all the hard work. It is a way to give back to make everyone feel appreciated in every way. Their enthusiasm and positive attitude plays a big role in this. You could tell in the video how surprised and happy the flight attendants were to see the Culture Committee greeting them when they opened the airplane door.
By focusing on making happy employees, SWA makes its customers happy as well. It is like a domino where one piece falls into place and then the rest follow as well. "They have to practice the golden rule every day - first with each other, and then with our passengers," Barrett said. "They have to serve because they want to. They have to smile because they want to, not because they have to" (CBS News, 2009). So it is about how you feel and how you interact with each other as well as the customers. When you love what you do and why you do it the rest is easy. I feel this is a big part of why the Culture Committee does what it does.
Having the Culture Committee in place not only shows employees how much they are each appreciated by each other but how valuable team work is and perhaps a big reason employees stay and how SWA continues to stay successful. Part of this success is the key difference in how employees treat each other. “Kelly says the difference between his company and others is simple: "People working together, people lovin' each other, people respecting each other" (CBS News, 2009).
If I were to try to put together a Culture Committee for my department I would probably focus on the little things first like bringing in breakfast for everyone as small token of appreciation. We function very well as a team and we all jump to help each other out so there isn’t one thing that one person does that another doesn’t. If I had to start my list I would say picking two counselors and telling them that they don’t have to work their queue for a day
