Page 26 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People

Built to Serve

stabilized my body while the jet began its descent
into El Paso, where I was taken by ambulance to Del

Sol Hospital for what became a one-week stay.
In the following weeks, every flight attendant who
had been aboard the jet that day called to check on

my condition. Most of them took the time to write a
note. Several months after the ordeal, the airline’s
management team was still corresponding with my
family—the airline even sent free travel coupons to
the off-duty paramedic and the vacationing physician

who had helped stabilize me. Not surprisingly, I
became a champion for Southwest, telling my story
2
= to anyone who was interested. Southwest Airlines

knows what most organizations have either
forgotten or never understood: there is something
special about being built to serve others.

he global business culture that prevails
T today is broken. What is needed is a radical
transformation—a monumental paradigm shift that

will reshape our present understanding of the true pur-
pose of work. Such a change requires great courage
and a compelling sense of urgency, but a proven for-
mula exists. It begins with accepting the idea that an