The Cost Of Uniqueness, Pt. 1

Uh-Oh.

That was my first reaction when the news broke last year that Southwest Airlines was abandoning its pioneering policy of open seating. I have always been a fan of Southwest Airlines—largely because they were different. Even though they were one of many airlines, and had very humble beginnings, they had managed over several decades to become the most profitable airline in the industry while maintaining their joke- telling flight attendants, offering basic amenities, flying one type of plane, refusing to offer reserved seating, and servicing smaller cities. These differences made them incredibly unique, the envy of many of their competitors, and spawned incredible loyalty among their customers. That is why as one of those loyal customers, I said “uh oh” to myself and then to several others when I read that they were abandoning open seating—a policy they pioneered!

That “uh oh” morphed into an “aww man” earlier this week when Southwest announced yet another change. Not only are they abandoning their pioneering policy of open seating, but they are now also jettisoning their policy of checking two bags for free. It is being reported that this change is being made to increase profitability. For example, a competing airlines generated $1.2 billion in fees last year charging customers to check bags. Over the same period, Southwest only generated $62 million. So I guess someone had the bright idea that they could make considerably more money if they just did what everybody else does. And that might be true. But I think that decision will pretty much spell the end of Southwest Airlines as we know it. Now, they will become like everyone else. Or at least that’s what I think—and several other observers, including this view from a leading business publication, who opined that this announcement was the death knell for a once beloved institution. Now they will become like every other airline.

Last week, I met with one of the legendary leaders of Los Angeles. As usual, I enjoyed the conversation much better than the lunch. As usual, some of the best questions that were raised were not the ones that I had spent the week preparing to ask my guest, but the (seemingly) impromptu questions that my guest asked me. And as usual, I walked away with a notebook full of stories, book recommendations, and insights that will take me the rest of the year to fully unpack.

Perhaps the most incisive of the insights that my guest shared was forged from the crucible of his own personal experience. He told me in a low but stern tone to

“Never put someone in position in any organization that you lead who does not have your heart. They need more than just your vision. They need your heart. Because if they only have your vision but don’t have your heart they will break your heart.”

When someone has your heart, it means that they understand, appreciate, and embody your values, principles, and aspirations. The relationship between David and Jonathan is instructive in this regard. Although they were raised in different families and occupied different steps on the social-economic ladder, both David and Jonathan were warriors at heart. For this reason, 1 Samuel 18:1 says that their souls were “knit” together. They shared the same passions. They believed in the same causes. They looked in the same direction. They had a vision of the same future. The day that Jonathan died, part of David died.

Herbert Kelleher founded Southwest Airlines in 1966. When he died on January 3, 2019, the company had produced 47 consecutive years of profit. Since Kelleher’s death, it seems that several people have assumed the leadership of the organization that do not appear to have his heart. They have not only lost money. It seems that they may also lost their soul.I think that if Mr. Kelleher knew of some of the changes that are being made, he would be appalled. I think his successors may understand his vision, but do not have his heart.

In their quest for profitability, they are surrendering what has been the foremost cause of their profitability: their uniqueness. They have always been different from every other airline, and customers rewarded them. Keller often said that he wanted to democratize air travel. His heart was to make it easy and affordable for ordinary people to travel. But apparently. somebody didn’t get the memo. Or the memo was lost. Or forgotten. Or ignored. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you become someone else is the greatest accomplishment in the world.”

Being yourself may be the greatest accomplishment in the world but it is by no means the easiest one. A great example of its difficulty greets us In the scriptures. In its pages, we learn the disappointing news that the children of Israel had grown weary of their unique vocation. God had called them to be his “peculiar people,” unlike any other nation on earth. But they had other plans. Even after Samuel had enumerated the risks associated with this decision, their desire to be like everyone else persisted. Their tragic desire is delineated in 1 Samuel 8:19-20:

But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

Whether you are Southwest Airlines or God’s chosen people, we all face the temptation to be like somebody else. This temptation is greater in some seasons of our lives than in others.

And for all of those who might be in a season of their lives where they are facing that temptation, let me offer a recommendation:

STOP!

Admittedly, that is much easier said than done.

So tune in next week for a few practical suggestions on how. Maintaining your uniqueness may be costly. But losing it costs even more.