Why Some Schools
Soar and Others Don’t
What does Southwest Airlines have to do with your school?
The authors of the bestselling book Made to Stick, Chip Heath
and Dan Heath, would say quite a bit.
Southwest Airlines is highly successful.
offer them. If the airline had a focus like
Its secret is that Southwest Airlines
the department store Nordstrom, which
runs its business according to one
emphasizes customer experience, then it
goal. That one goal or mantra is “We
might make a different decision.
are the low cost airlines.” When the
airline makes a business decision, the
leadership has to ensure that it meets
this concrete and simple goal.
Why is this relevant to your school?
Ask your leadership team: “What is our
central goal?” Is it to be the low-cost
private school? If so, make decisions
For instance, if the airline needs to
based on that goal. If your goal is to be
decide to offer dinner on flights, it has
the top STEM program, then make all
to ask whether this will contribute to
decisions accordingly. The same would be
its main goal or work against it. Meals
true if your goal is sports, the arts, your
are not low cost, so the airline doesn’t
faith, or student character.
3