The Two Most Powerful Words… In the Airline Industry

By Chuck Gault, Max Coating President

At Max Coating, we like for things to be straightforward and to the point. When you’re conveying a message to a group of people, it’s the best way to eliminate misunderstandings. That’s the reason we love diagrams and infographics that display lots of information in an easy to comprehend format. We’ve never understood why companies go to such great lengths to make fancy policies and mission statements that no one can truly grasp.

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about Southwest Airlines’ two word business strategy.  That’s right – only two words!  Two words that have helped Southwest become the undisputed leader in their industry. Those two words? – “Wheels Up.” That’s it. Their business strategy is all there in those two words.

Get those planes in the air and Southwest makes money. If I’m the mechanic, the ticket agent, the pilot or the CFO, I know I need to do my part to get the “Wheels Up.” And people like to know what they’re working to accomplish. It gives people a sense of purpose in the workplace.

So what about Max Coating?  What two word business strategy have we come up with?  Unfortunately we don’t have it yet. We’ve tried a few things, like “Good Parts, On Time” but nothing has stuck.

But that’s OK. I’m sure “Wheels Up” didn’t happen overnight for Southwest. I’m confident we’ll eventually find those two perfect words. But until then…”Wheels Up”!

 

Max Coating is a leader in the metal finishing industry, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with an additional location in Atlanta, Georgia. Max Coating provides electrocoating and powder coating services for automotive, industrial and agricultural manufacturers. Learn more at www.maxcoating.com.