Ginger Hardage, CEO of Unstoppable Cultures and former SVP of Culture at Southwest Airlines, knows a thing or two about building and sustaining the healthy, authentic and world-famous organizational culture at Southwest. With Unstoppable Cultures, Ginger is taking her learnings from Southwest to help others cultivate their own cultures of greatness.
In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Ginger showcases how deliberately investing in culture can differentiate an organization, build authentic brand zealots and deliver positive business results.
Episode discussion guide – The Competitive Advantage of Culture
Continue the conversation with others, or take the time for personal reflection, using the below episode discussion guide.
- Southwest has a practice of putting its employees first, who in turn take care of customers, which ultimately leads to business results and shareholder satisfaction. Which of these three stakeholders comes first at your organization? What are the effects of this cycle?
- Maril outlines the six levers she suggest have the power to alter a culture: values, energy, behaviors, symbols, systems and communication. Which two levers present the biggest opportunities for your organization? Why?
- Southwest’s values – Warrior Spirit, Servant’s Heart, Fun-LUVing Attitude – are specific and simple. Think about your organization’s values. How do they impact the kind of people you hire? How could you infuse values more into your hiring process?
- Freedom with a framework is a guiding principle for Southwest and SoulCycle. Where does most of the decision making happen in your organization? Is it by the people who are closest to the work or further away? What opportunities does this present?
- Think about the metrics your organization uses to measure success. Would any of these be on your “best places to work” list? Analyze any overlap or disparity. What opportunities do you see to align what success looks like?
