Are You a Well-Liked Boss?

In the early 1980s while living in Phoenix, my roommate, without a minute of experience with a major or even minor airline, somehow talked his way into a higher-level operations position with Southwest when the Texas carrier initially opened up gates at Sky Harbor Airport.

After a few weeks on the job where he was required to work in all positions as a management trainee, I visited him on the baggage ramp where in the blazing Arizona sun, he was hoisting everything from footlockers, to the latest model from American Tourister. 

Next to him was an angular man with rawboned features, puffing on a cigarette and toiling along with the rest of the jump-suited ramp crew. He stuck his hand out and introduced himself as “Herb.”

It was later I learned that “Herb” was Herb Kelleher, the colorful and homespun co-founder of Southwest and who served as its chairman for decades. According to veteran Southwest staffers, Herb took what we now refer to as an “open door policy” to new levels, years before it became a regular workplace mantra.

It was not unusual as I witnessed, to see him lending a hand on the baggage ramp or at the check-in desk. Even today, years after stepping down from the C-suite, Kelleher is still viewed almost reverentially at the airline.

Unfortunately, not all of us have been fortunate to have a boss like Herb Kelleher, and in some cases have worked under those who are polar opposites. I know I have. In fact three of them were at my former company and inexplicably, are somehow still employed there.

Over the last 25 years, I’ve spoken with some of those considered the best “bosses” in the country and learned some of the reasons why. Conversely, I saw some terrible managers and how their styles hampered and in some cases ruined, promising companies.

I bring this up, because some HR consulting firm just released a list of America’s 10 best-liked CEOs, two of whom I’ve had the privilege of interviewing – Howard Schultz of Starbucks and Brad Smith of software publisher Intuit and the reasons why they are at the top of the list.

Schultz was one of the pioneers in foodservice who instituted benefits for baristas working as few as 20 hours per week, while Smith took the reins from Intuit founder Scott Cook and has since marched the company in new and promising directions.

To see the rest of those on the list click here.

But being well-liked doesn’t have to entail overseeing billion-dollar enterprises, it can manifest itself at the grass roots level. For example, one CEO of a Dallas-based foodservice company would shut down on Friday afternoons in the summer and stage an employee miniature golf tournament amongst the offices and hallways. A number of CPA firms I know would bring in massage therapists during tax season to help relieve stress, while another regularly rented out a Go-Kart facility.

You don’t necessarily have to stand in 100-degree heat lifting overstuffed suitcases to earn the respect of your employees, as I’ve shown; the little things count as well.

And if you can’t manage even the little things for your employees to keep them motivated, the cold reality is they’ll inevitably find a company and CEO who will.