Today at the AAF Austin Rocks conference, I had the opportunity to hear our client, Whitney Eichinger from Southwest Airlines speak. I’ve known Whitney for several years now and every time I see her, not only do we have a great time, but she radiates what we love about Southwest Airlines – the fun people and culture.
In her speech, she touched on the airline’s culture and summed it up with one line: “We’re all in this together.” Words I think we all want to live by. From hiring people that just want to have fun, celebrating every, I mean every milestone, to having no layoffs in its 40 years, Southwest Airlines knows the secret to their success is the people. Other than giving their employees the freedom to have fun, they teach them to do the right thing. Case and point – the recent story about the Southwest Airlines pilot holding the airline for a man going to see his dying grandson.
2011 marks GSD&M’s 30th anniversary with Southwest Airlines. I’m proud to say I’ve had the privilege to work with such a great group of people as well as push out communication about the key attributes that make the airline what it is today – the most successful domestic airline.
Here’s to another 30 years together!
