Wharton School Publishing

The Power of Dedicated Employees

"After 9/11, Southwest made three pivotal decisions — no layoffs, no pay cuts, and no-hassle refunds for any customer wanting them. The result — Southwest remained profitable and its revenue passenger miles for the fourth quarter of 2001 held steady while the rest of its industry nearly collapsed."

–James Parker, Former CEO, Southwest Airlines; Author, Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing People matter most. You know that. But most companies would rather slash costs, cut headcount, replace well-paid employees with lower-paid staff or outsourced workers, and reduce customer service. No wonder so many fail — while others focused on doing the right thing remain profitable and growth oriented for decades.

In Do the Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits, Southwest Airlines' former CEO James F. Parker shows why "doing the right thing" isn't just naïve "feel-goodism;" it's the most powerful rule for business success. He proves why doing what's right is the number one rule of business success. Parker tells how after 9/11, Southwest made three pivotal decisions — no layoffs, no pay cuts, and no-hassle refunds for any customer wanting them. The result — Southwest remained profitable and its revenue passenger miles for the fourth quarter of 2001 held steady while the rest of its industry nearly collapsed. And Southwest's market cap soon exceeded all its major competitors combined. These pivotal decisions grew naturally from Southwest's culture of mutual respect and trust. Parker offers deeply personal insights into that culture, revealing how those same principles are used by other people and organizations, showing you that it's really not that hard to "do the right thing."

In the book, Parker examines why doing what's right is the surest way to optimize and sustain value. He shows how to find great leaders at every level of the organization and how to hire for attitude and train for skills. He looks at approaches for achieving unprecedented levels of teamwork (and fun!)

Download the first chapter for free.