I will fly on Southwest Airlines approximately 50 times over the next six months. In just four flights, I am starting to figure out when I need to be at a certain place and where I need to be. I am figuring out what I like and don't like about the flights, the schedule, and the airline. And I have definitely figured out that having a coke on the plane is not worth having half a can end up in your seat because the guy next to you accidentally bumped you as you were taking a sip. But that is a story for another blog.
Since I started flying Southwest, I take notice of most things Southwest. Something that caught my attention lately was a quote by the former CEO, Jim Parker. He was quoted as saying, "Don’t set artificial goals for yourself. Don’t set goals about the job you want or the amount of money you want to make."
Most people that I know would consider that a strange quote from the CEO of a major airline during one of the most devastating times in our history, September 11th. But if you dig deeper into the article, you come to understand that Parker understands that company goals are important and help define success, but that his real goal was to focus on the development of people and the contributions that you can make to them. In reality, our entire life experience is a relational one. We were created to be relational. Life and leadership and business are all about people.
Today, I completed a four page "Priority List" for our company to use as a sounding board to help us focus on improvements that our company can implement over the slower winter months. But, as important as results and goals and focus are, the highest priority has got to be the development of our team and ourselves.
It's time to focus on our people!
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