Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

What Are The Five Secrets Of A Successful Group?

christine-orteg
Employee
Employee
I found out the answer to that question recently at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon. So, here they are: the five principles for any group to be a success from wildcatter and savvy businessman Ray Hunt : #5 Be contrarian with a purpose.  Advances in communication now cause herd mentality. That is not desirable. Going in the opposite direction will leave an open field of opportunity! #4 Agility. It relates to how quickly or how long it takes  to do #3 #3 Adaptability to changing circumstances. #2 Ability to differentiate. This helps the organization stand apart and avoid being average. And the secret is out! The #1 principle that determines a successful group is a good corporate culture, which includes a strong value system and  work ethic. I like that Mr. Hunt mentioned only Southwest Airlines to this power-packed room to explain the most important principle of a successful group. It was hard not to cheer for Southwest, but the room was silent--hanging on Mr. Hunt's every word with almost 500 business leaders doing like my colleagues Beth Harbin and Monica Whalin-- listening intently!   Plus cheering was not one of the successful principles. Beth (left) and Monica were really listening intently...until I asked them to smile for this photo! While I'd like to contradict Mr. Hunt's bits of wisdom to prove that, somehow,  I am contrarian and smart, I think I'll just demonstrate a good work ethic and get back to work!