Inside Southwest Airlines: Four keys to cultural nirvana

The airline’s top execs reveal how their corporate culture and creative communication inspires employees—and the envy of fellow communicators

The nearly 400 communicators in the audience at Southwest Airlines’ headquarters in Dallas reacted with mixed emotions to the dazzling display of culture and wisdom exhibited by the airline’s communicators and top executives.

The communication conference, co-sponsored by Southwest and Ragan Communications, inspired two emotions, mostly: Near-teary admiration, and jealousy bordering on anger.

The typical conference mantra, “We could never do this at my company,” went without saying at this conference. And for those in the crowd who didn’t manage to receive this two-day case study in nirvana with the right mindset, it was slightly annoying.

“I don’t want to see your Halloween pictures,” whispered communicator in reaction to a series of slides showing Southwest employees and execs doing their wacky thing in years past. “Don’t show me that. That’s your own family pictures. I don’t want to see it.”