- Paperback: 363 pages
- Publisher: Texere Publishing; New edition edition (2 Aug 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1587991195
- ISBN-13: 978-1587991196
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 368,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
Revealing the secrets behind the success of Southwest Airlines, one of the world's most successful companies, this book expands on the unusual strategies employed. Southwest reinvented air travel 26 years ago with its low fares and zany, irreverent style. These "nuts" made flying an event. Today Southwest keeps air fares rock bottom by keeping costs low, satisfies customers by getting people and baggage to their destination on time, practises the Golden Rule at work and in the communities it serves and has one of the best productivity and safety records in the industry. This book aims to provide a model for managers who want to motivate, liberate and appreciate their staff, gaining returns as a result. The authors recount the events and cast which have shaped the culture and character of this legendary airline and show just what a difference a bit of ingenuity can make to a company's people and performance.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An extremely good book about the most fascinating Airline in the world. The book is written with so much enthusiasm and starts out really well. I got a bit tired of the writing style towards the end and that's why I only give it 4 stars. However I lived in the States and travelled regularly with Southwest and no book can do the company justice. To really appreciate Nuts and how challenging it must have been to write (and how much fun too)then travel with Southwest. This book should be compulsory reading for all managers employeed in the aircraft industry and associated services, as well as all CEO's. I believe Ryan Air have modelled their business on Southwest and that's great. This book describes how and why Southwest is so successful and an insight into the magic of the company. Implementing that into your company will be the challenge for any manager that reads Nuts.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had to buy this book as a core text for university and I was amazed on how much you learn from Southwest's principles. Not only does it look at Southwest's history, but it also offers business's a new outlook on how to deal with customers.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I read profiles of companies, I usually find that I barely recognize the company I know. Nuts! is different. It actually captures a lot of the inside perspective of Southwest Airlines, in a way that is hard to do in a business book.
I have been flying on Southwest for over 30 years, and have been fascinated by the company's business model for the entire time. So I have made it a point to fly the airline and to learn as much as possible about the people over the years. I have also had the benefit of having had a professional relationship with the firm in the past.
I was immediately impressed when the first 50 pages contained a large number of stories that long-time Southwest employees had told me over the years.
My good impression grew as important new details were added to my knowledge. Perhaps most important was the description of how the authors got access to Herb Kelleher and the company in order to be able to write the book.
If authenticity is the book's main strength, then its main weakness is repetition. The Freibergs have sliced and diced the lessons a bit too finely for my taste. Rather than portraying the key elements of the Southwest story and exemplifying these points with lots of examples, Nuts! takes the same examples and reuses them over ... and ... over ... and ... over to make different points.
A way to have improved this book would have been to have compared Southwest to other outstanding companies. The authors tended to limit their comparisons to other airlines (a group of usually not-very-well-run companies). That would have made the unique elements of Southwest clearer.
If you have ever flown Southwest, you know that the company's culture is pretty unusual. The cultural story comes across loud and clear. One of the strengths of the book is that the reasons for starting and maintaining the culture are well explained. Most cultures are pretty hard to understand from the outside. This one can be appreciated from that perspective.
Finally, I really liked the way the book explained how scenario thinking (around 'what if?' questions) has helped Southwest. This is a solid addition to the business literature.
The book is conveniently divided into several different parts that emphasize various perspectives. The beginning tells the history of how the culture was born (in adversity, as most strong cultures are). The second part describes some key principles of the company's vision and culture. The third part describes how the culture is maintained and encouraged (particularly as the company grows). The final section takes a more leadership oriented perspective. You can focus your attention on any of these points of view, and learn something valuable.
Unless you don't like people, you'll like Nuts! You'd be nuts not to. Have a great time learning more about the masters of overcoming stalled thinking in an industry where stalls are dangerous!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
BE CREATIVE, TAKE RISKS, BE BRAVE, MAKE MONEY
This book is about creativity. It's about what happens when people cut through the crap and do things instinctively - you end up with a very successful business. Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2000
Love in the Air! Learn about how to behave in business
The book details the innovative history of Southwest Airlines. Avoid the management gurus points of learning, instead concentrate on the staff examples and the letters of... Read more
Published on 2 April 1999
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