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Nuts!
Book

Nuts!

Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success

Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg
Broadway Books, 1998
First Edition: 1995

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg began studying Southwest Airlines when Kevin was a doctoral student. This lively, funny and, at times, moving book is full of information about the origins of Southwest Airlines, what makes it unique and how it fights hard to keep its family-based culture, despite having more than 33,000 employees. Wonderful stories told by employees, letters from customers and comments from other business leaders demonstrate the principles that the authors discuss. The book is divided into four sections, with the last looking at leadership in general and as practiced at Southwest. This book was originally published in 1996, but every word of it is perfectly applicable today. Southwest Airlines is still making a profit and growing where other airlines are losing money by the planeload. getAbstract recommends this entertaining account of how to operate a service-oriented company in a cutthroat industry.

Take-Aways

  • As Southwest Airlines shows, the way you begin your enterprise shapes its character and its future. Southwest’s history suggests these lessons:
  • Do not be afraid to take a different path if you see it is better.
  • You can teach your employees what they need to know, but you cannot teach attitude. Hire only those who already have the right attitude for your company.

About the Authors

Jackie and Kevin Freiberg are the principals of a San Diego consulting group. The firm offers management advice to major organizations, including, of course, Southwest Airlines.

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