NUTS!
Southwest Airlines’ Crazy
Recipe for Business and
Personal Success
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
FLYING IN THE FACE OF CONFORMITY
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Live within your budget.
Manage in good times for bad times.
Define your own targets. Don’t settle for
conventional standards: create your own.
Keep things simple. Streamline your systems and
your life.
Bigger isn’t always better. Don’t confuse market
share with profitability.
At the peak of success, look for things you can do
even better.
Be humble: success is hardly ever all your own doing
and rarely irreversible.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
“PROFESSIONALS” NEED NOT APPLY
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Hire people with a sense of humor.
Quit pretending. Give yourself the freedom to be yourself.
Train for skill. Hire for spirit, spunk, and enthusiasm.
Be religious about hiring the right people. If you make the
wrong hiring decision, within the first ninety days make the
tough decision, to say good-bye.
Treat family members as best friends; don’t take them for
granted.
Do whatever it takes. Remember, there is very little traffic
in the extra mile.
Define your own standard of professionalism.
Treat everyone with kindness and equal respect; you
never know whom you're talking to.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
KILL THE BUREAUCRACY
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Think like an entrepreneur.
Create a lean organization...it’s difficult to hide poor performance.
Stamp out bureaucracy. To ignite the entrepreneurial spirit, abolish
unnecessary meetings, minimize paperwork, and simplify
communication.
Stop analyzing, start taking action, and act with a sense of urgency.
Make rules, systems, and procedures your servants, not your
masters.
Anticipate the unexpected. Practice the art of asking “What if...?”
Be flexible; bend without breaking. Adjust your policies,
procedures, and rules in the best interest of customers (internal
and external).
Focus on individuals and capabilities, not titles, Deal with people,
not positions.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
ACT LIKE AN OWNER
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Think like an owner-about your job and your life. Owners
focus on results regardless of who’s watching.
Don’t act like a victim. Believe you can make a difference
in everything you do.
Put your trust in others. It tells them they are trustworthy
and they will act accordingly.
Show your people what you think they’re worth.
Negotiate with an abundance mentality.
Make your organizational and personal mission, vision,
and values clear--then hold the reins loosely.
Practice the Golden Rule. Do what you expect and want
others to do.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
LEARN LIKE CRAZY
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Take on a childlike curiosity. Seek to learn something
from everyone.
Develop a genuine interest in the knowledge of others:
ask to learn, listen to learn, watch to learn.
Train yourself to look beyond what you see.
Create a “Cutting Edge” program of your own. Find ways
to understand other people’s jobs.
Make information interesting, meaningful, and relevant to
everyone. Show everyone what’s in it for them.
Give people more responsibility to develop their strengths
and grow.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
DON’T FEAR FAILURE
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Blaze new trails. Don’t rest on others’ laurels.
Ask yourself how you can do it before you ask others
how it’s been done.
Become a “risk doctor”: help people recover from
mistakes by accepting, encouraging, and laughing.
Stand behind your commitments and those of your
people.
Own mistakes, share mistakes, learn from mistakes,
and move on.
Play to win!
Make your life and work adventurous.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
ONE GREAT BIG FAMILY
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Equip people to make decisions by clearly defining
the culture.
Align systems, policies, and practices with your
values.
Measure, reward, and recognize people who protect
and promote the culture.
Do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Examine your checkbook and your calendar
periodically to see if the way you spend your money
and your time is consistent with what you value.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE
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Memorialize and display your fondest memories.
Make pictures of people your artwork.
Make the vision the boss.
Develop a sincere interest in every family member.
Building the culture you want doesn’t just happen;
make it purposeful, not accidental. Create a culture
committee that protects, promotes, and projects a
purposeful culture.
Do what you value: practice what you preach, walk
the talk.
Become a storyteller for your company and your
family.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
THE ART OF CELEBRATING MILESTONES
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Use celebrations to create memories.
Have celebrations acknowledge what’s important,
what you value.
Let celebrations give people the opportunity to say
hello and good-bye.
Use celebrations to build relationships.
Celebrate to make the mundane fun and unusual.
If you're going to celebrate, do it right.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
CELEBRATING PEOPLE WITH BIG HEARTS
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Say “Thank you” often.
Always celebrate people from the heart.
Make heroes and heroines of employees who glorify
your company’s values.
Find people who serve behind the scenes and
celebrate their contributions.
Create a celebration signature--balloons, photos,
trophies.
Celebrate at work like you do at home. Celebrate at
home like Southwest does at work.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
STILL NUTS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
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Lighten up: don’t take yourself so seriously.
Associate with fun people. Identify six ways you can
lighten up, then work on them for six months.
Ask family, friends, and colleagues to finish the
following: (Your name) would be more fun if he/she
would...
Work in play clothes!
Be the first to find humor in tense moments.
Try to make someone smile or laugh every morning
and every night.
Laugh at yourself at least once a day!
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
LUV
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Show love more often.
Make love a decision, not just a feeling; then stick to it.
Recognize other people’s need for love--and your own.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and express your
needs. Love often insists on vulnerability.
Life is short: forgive and forget!
Love people by speaking the truth in loving ways.
Be gracious. Polish your politeness.
Don’t withhold love when you disapprove of others.
Don’t view others’ disapproval as holding back love.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
COMPASSION FOR THE COMMUNITY
 Show
your gratitude to the community for
supporting your success.
 Give more than your money. Give your time,
heart, soul.
 Make serving the community a team-building
event for your employees.
 Love not to get, but to give. Let love be the
motivator.
 Volunteer for the greater good and become
better for it.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
UNCONVENTIONAL ADVERTISING
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Market to employees, not just customers.
Promote your culture as well as your product.
Look for creative, unusual ways to tell your story.
Collaborate with others in creation your story.
Use your story as a way to build spirit, service, and
performance.
Have everyone play a part in keeping your company’s
advertising and marketing promises.
Find ways to tell your own story. Use it to further your
personal and professional success.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
CUSTOMERS COME SECOND
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Defend your people. The customer may not be right
all the time!
Make service a way of life, not just a business
technique.
Give people the flexibility to transcend rules and
regulations to better serve the customer.
Ask yourself, “Whom can I serve today?” Then do it.
When it comes to serving others, make sure that
“good enough” is never good enough.
Treat your friends and family like your most valued
customers.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)
EMPLOYEES COME FIRST
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Do what you ask others to do.
Inform your people. It teaches them to care.
Make living legends out of your service heroes. Real
examples might inspire others to offer legendary service
too.
Show people what legendary service looks like, then
trust them to do the right thing.
Publish stories of extraordinary service in your
newsletter. If you don’t have one, write them up in a
letter to employees.
Make it a practice to give everyone--customers,
coworkers, friends, family--more than they expect.
(from the book Nuts! by Kevin Frieberg and Jackie Frieberg )
(Copyright 1996)