"Turbulence is inevitable but misery is optional", said Southwest Airline's CEO Howard Putnam at an event I heard him speak at last year. The theme of his talk was "succeed through turbulence" and he really presented a great message.
On one particular Southwest flight I was boarding, the flight attendant had hidden herself in the overhead luggage compartment and was popping her hand out as people walked by and tapping them on the shoulder. You don't get that at any other airline!
This goes in hand with the CEO's strategy when he first took over Southwest. He understood that "you need stories and folklore about you to get people talking and sharing their experiences with your company".
If you've ever flown Southwest Airlines, you know what I'm talking about. I fly a lot and I can tell you, for sure, that Southwest is hands down the best carrier to use. What makes them the best? Their staff.
Southwest hires people based on their attitude, not necessarily their experience. Putnam spoke about his belief to "hire attitudes, develop skills".
Another motto in Putnam's company is "Southwest is a great team, not a team of greats".
I think we can learn a lot from these successful companies that do things the right way and turn a major profit (Patagonia and Starbucks also come to mind).
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