Taking Employee Engagement to New Heights

Narrator: Employees that are treated well, that feel valued, supported and motivated at work are more likely to be highly engaged in what they do. And when employees are highly engaged at work, the latest Gallup poll says that they achieve 23% greater profitability than the least engaged employees. Higher employee engagement increases sales, reduces turnover and improves the quality of their work. And here comes the fact that’s hard to swallow: the same poll says that only 35% of the U.S. workforce feels engaged at work. Of course this is only the U.S., but employee engagement – and by connection, their treatment – is not just a concern in the U.S., but globally. If there’s one thing the statistics show, it’s that treating employees well…pays off. That’s one of the things we’re talking about today with Elizabeth Bryant.

Elizabeth Bryant: if you treat your employee well, you’re they in turn will treat our customers well and by doing that they’ll come back and that will make our shareholders happy. Andby that what I mean is genuinely care about our employees, put them at the center of our decision making model, involve them. in problems and opportunities and challenges, trust them that they know what to do and then they can make the right decisions when you empower people to do that,they will do well, they make good decisions, 

Narrator: Elizabeth is the Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines. She provides Executive Leadership for People (Human Resources), Talent & Leadership Development, Total Rewards, and Southwest Airlines University. Since joining Southwest in 1997, she’s led many initiatives, including training centralization, performance management, SAP implementation, and AirTran Integration. 

And in this episode, Elizabeth and our host, Nicole Alvino, are talking about what it means to treat employees well from hire to retire, developing a robust leadership development program for everyone from new leaders all the way to executive level and beyond, and creating a culture of learning.

On Cruising Altitude, we talk about employee experience lessons from leaders at companies with over 30, 000 employees. A lot like reaching cruising altitude at 30, 000 feet, things look a little different when you’re managing 30, 000 people. On this podcast, we bring you insights from the leaders who inhabit that rarefied air. Today’s episode features an interview with Brittany Polanco, but first let’s hear a word from our sponsor. 

And now your host, Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup.

Nicole Alvino: Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us on Cruising Altitude. I’m Nicole Alvino, founder and CEO of Firstup. Super passionate about ensuring that every worker feels connected and engaged with their employer. Firstup is a SaaS platform used by 40 of the Fortune 100 to provide an exceptional employee experience for every employee. When we do this, we retain and grow our people and increase efficiency and adoption of organizational initiatives, all part of driving a high performance culture. So our mission today is to help you learn about how we can retain top talent, improve organizational culture, and drive your business outcomes. and thrilled to have Elizabeth Bryant on Cruising Altitude today. She is the SVP and Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines. It’s such a privilege to have her on Cruising Altitude for several reasons. One, Southwest clearly does exist. in that rarefied air of having over 75, 000 employees and of course they operate most of their offices at a true cruising altitude of 30, 000 feet. I think we’ll hear more about that. fun fact for everyone, they served more than 137 million customers last year. So I think my favorite part about Southwest other than just the joy that you feel as a guest on the airline and everyone who experiences Southwest I know feels that is that they truly do put their people first and that’s a core to what they do. We’ll hear a lot more about that from Elizabeth. And they also credit this people first philosophy with 47 years of consecutive profitability for shareholders. So with that, Elizabeth, welcome.

Elizabeth Bryant: Hi, Nicole. Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.

Nicole Alvino: Of course, of course. So at Firstup, when new employees join, we ask them to tell us three fun facts as a way to better get to know them. So what are your three fun facts so our listeners can get to know you a bit?

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, sure. So I think one fun fact is I married my high school sweetheart. so he has certainly put up with a lot, over the years. Secondly, I have a daughter who’s going to be playing soccer at the University of Texas. And finally, I think my favorite spot to visit is Half Moon Bay, California. I think partly because I was raised out in Northern California. And secondly, I just, I love that area and the people and the beach. And it’s just my favorite getaway.

Nicole Alvino: Those are great fun facts. I love Half Moon Bay also. I’m actually going to be there in a couple weeks. it definitely is very, very magical and those sunsets are stunning. 

Elizabeth Bryant: Oh, absolutely. Well, take me with you.

Nicole Alvino: yes, we can, we can meet there for sure. I love it. So just to orient us, can you tell us a little bit just about Southwest, the history, the founding, the culture, and then about your role, um, throughout the year you’ve been there.

Elizabeth Bryant: Sure, so Southwest was founded in 1971. It was a small Texas based airline and the goal at that time really by one of our founders, Herb Kelleher, was to really democratize the skies and give People, the freedom to fly, the ability to fly, at that point, one in four Americans had actually ever flown. And so, it was a challenge to say, hey, let’s get more people to the skies. And actually at that time, our number one competitor wasn’t necessarily another airline. It was actually the automobile. It was how can we inspire people to fly rather than getting in their cars and driving from Dallas to San Antonio to Austin, which are the three cities that we served. so we had some real humble years, lots of opportunity to show some warrior spirit. We had a lot of fights, to stay alive, if you will. And now it’s been 54 years of service. And we now serve, as you mentioned, 4, 000 flights a day, 137 million passengers. 2023. Just like you mentioned, we’re primarily domestic, but we also do serve an additional 10 countries. So we’ve definitely widened our scope. My role within Southwest is really to serve the employees at Southwest. So we have about 75, 000 employees, more than 80 percent of them work in the operation. So They’re at the airport, they’re at the hangar, they’re, as you mentioned, 30, 000 feet up, in the sky, and so I support all 75, 000 through kind of hire to retire. if you will, so I oversee all the people related functions. So other companies call them human resources. We call it the people department here. So we’ve got the people department, which is our talent acquisition, HR business partners, kind of core HR Ops. We have talent leadership development, which is all about helping employees find their, Potential at Southwest, our total rewards, which of course, compensation, benefits, things like that. And our Southwest Airlines University, which is all of our operational training. So that’s how do we equip employees when they come in to Southwest to be efficient and proficient in the role that they’ve selected. So how to become a flight attendant, ramp agent, customer service, et cetera.

Nicole Alvino: I love that. A huge scope, and I love the concept of from hire to retire, and I’m sure you have so many great stories of people who had probably decades of service along that journey. So how do you go about helping your people reach their full potential?

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, I think first it starts with hiring well, and we put a lot of effort into making sure that the employees that we bring on board, that there’s a match from a values perspective. We want To hire people who work hard, people who like to have fun at what they do and people who genuinely want to serve other people. And so if we hire people with that type of value system, then we pull them into our environment and we give them the tools they need to do their job well. And then we meet them halfway to ensure that they have a career plan. They have a path, they have an opportunity to learn and grow, whether that is through, you know, courses, through talent leadership development or SWOYU, or it’s through a mentoring program. We really try to think about career at Southwest more like a lattice. versus a ladder. It’s not up or out. It is maybe sometimes I’m going to move east in order to go north, or I’m going to try this new position. Even though it’s a lateral position, it’s going to expand my skill set, get me into another area, give me exposure to a different part of the company that maybe I wouldn’t have had before. And so we try to hire from within and give employees first the opportunity to move into different roles before we look. externally. And so I think it’s a real investment, in our employees knowing that we’ve hired TEF to get in the door. Then we’re going to equip and provide opportunities where employees can really find their gifts and their voices and, reach, you know, whatever goal it is that they have here at Southwest. The nice thing is, people think about an airline, you think about, I need to be a flight attendant or a pilot or a customer service agent. You know, those are the frontline positions, but we’re also a technology company, we’re an HR company, we’re a finance company. So there really is something for everybody at Southwest.

Nicole Alvino: I love that. And with all of those different types of experiences that one could have, or kind of mini journeys that one could have, how do you think about the entirety of the employee experience and helping people along that career lattice?

Elizabeth Bryant: you know, I think about moments that matter for employees. So we have an employee journey that we obviously document, and it’s, you know, when an employee comes in to Southwest, what are the things that matter to them? It is, knowing where to go. Knowing how to get the skill set that they need. I’m going to the right classes. It’s knowing where their leader is, where they can ask questions. It’s some of that blocking and tackling. It’s where do I go for my benefits and my compensation? How do I use our internet site? So it’s having a strong onboarding plan. And then it’s how do I grow and develop kind of within that role? And what are the resources that are available to me there? Do I have the right tools? When I need them, am I compensated correctly? Do I feel that I am recognized for the work that I do? Is there opportunity for me to move up, to move diagonally somewhere else in the organization? Do I have an opportunity to grow and develop in the current role that I have? Are there opportunities that are afforded to me at Southwest? And at the end of the day, Something that I think about a lot and talk to my leaders about is how are we ensuring that the employees of Southwest Airlines are feeling seen and valued for the skills that they bring? And so much of that actually, Nicole, is about leadership development. It’s equipping our leaders with the tools and the skill set to bring out the best in our employees.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, it really is. It’s really interesting if you think about that employee journey and just different types of employee journeys within based on who you are and where you’re starting. So much of that is that you’re a first line manager and the opportunities that they’re giving. So can you talk a little bit about how you’re empowering that group of leaders? And I’m also curious of how you think about what you do digitally, what needs to be done in person, how you merge the two. so I think that’s probably really, really critical, especially as you’re thinking through that career lattice.

Elizabeth Bryant: You know, I think you’re, right. I think that that relationship with the frontline leader, with your leader, is probably the most important relationship that you have. Does my leader see me? Do they get me? Do they understand me? Do they recognize the value that I’m bringing? are they able to help identify the gaps and coach to those gaps? And Leadership is something that, there may be some innate qualities, but I fully believe that leadership can be taught. And, there’s an investment that needs to be made on behalf of the organization in order to do that well. So I think there’s a difference between a healthy and a smart organization, right? In a smart organization, you hire in the right people that have the background and the skillset, but the healthy is all about the EQ and that ability to connect with, you know, what’s important with employees’ lives. And so from a leadership development perspective. We put a lot of investment into ensuring that our leaders Have those tools from a frontline leadership perspective, foundational leadership class. Here’s what it means to be a leader at Southwest Airlines. Here’s our leadership competencies. Here’s what I need to work on. Here’s what I need to be available, how I need to be available to my employees. And then as I grow as a leader, that class changes based on what the level is in the organization based on my responsibilities. and so it starts to customize. As I grow, all the way to our executive leaders, as an example, they also have leadership development requirements that are tailored to what their changing needs may be. And so development never ends. In fact, I would say it continues to intensify, as leaders grow. Because, to your point, People don’t leave companies, they leave leaders, right? And I think you can flip that coin and say that people stay for leaders as well. So I think it’s important that we equip our leaders with those tools. But I also, to your point about kind of a digital approach, we have to meet leaders where they are. To think that leaders can pause, come in, sit through a class for two weeks really isn’t the reality, I think, for our leaders anymore. So it’s, it is about, snackable content, and Having a variety of different content that’s available for leaders to go and source when they need it. And so, if I need help on a particular topic, maybe it’s, you know, managing conflict, I might take a class if I have that time. It might be an online class. I might read a book. I might find an online resource that is all available, through our Southwest Airlines and learning management system. And so I think we’ve certainly adjusted the way that we think about leadership development over the past several years in order to make it more achievable for people to get what they need at the time that they need it. So. Set up, you know, differently, it’s just in time learning, which is really what our focus has been.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, I love that. It’s just in time learning. It’s sort of giving people what they need in the moments that they need it. And then it’s because that that’s what it is. You could have the best training in the world, but if it’s not actually what you need at that moment, it almost doesn’t matter. 

Elizabeth Bryant: That’s right. Yeah, we used to think, Nicole, about, you know, hey, when you start as a leader, we’re going to put you through this really intensive leadership development class, and you’re going to learn everything you need to know in three weeks, and it was a three week class over a three month period of time. But when you think about the fact, as a new leader, you’re drinking out of a fire hose, you’re learning so many new things every day. And you’re learning everything you need to know to be a leader. It just doesn’t work that way. So instead, what do you need to know as a new leader? Let’s give you enough information so that you don’t get yourself in trouble. You know, there are some basic things you need to do well. Let’s focus there. And then we’ll go ahead and chip away at it and give it to you as you need it.

Nicole Alvino: Exactly. And so it’s all about to kind of meeting people where they are giving them what they need in those moments and even automating some of that. You probably have enough data for all of your leadership and those different new leader journeys, if you will, to say, Look, you’re a new leader. Why don’t I push you this piece? You use the word snackable content, watch this video or take this training. And then perhaps two weeks later or one week later, we’ll push you something else and kind of set you on a path for success or something that you can consume in a manner that really does work for the individual.

Elizabeth Bryant: I think that’s right. And I think having a culture of learning can support that. And so one that encourages curiosity, encourages development, I think there needs to be some accountability that goes in with that. I think, you know, as my leader should ask me, you know, what are you working on? And hey, based on our last conversation, you were going to focus on, you know, this competency, what have you done? And I think the more conversation we can have about leadership development and make that a daily expectation, the more successful the programs.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, definitely. And just being open about it. Like having that, that full growth mindset. And here we, you have such a culture of developing leaders and promoting from within. And so people can say, oh, look, if I want to do something else, you said, whether it’s East, West, or North, I’m surrounded by people to help me along and, and to give me that, part of, the next step in my journey.

Elizabeth Bryant: That’s right. And I think I would just add one last component to this, Nicole, and I think that’s an environment that allows failure to happen and to have a growth mindset. It doesn’t always mean you’re moving forward. And sometimes. You know, we will make mistakes as we’re growing. So to have an environment that recognizes that mistakes are, they’re part of it, they’re part of the growth, and to, you know, as a leader, to be equipped with the tools and the skills to help employees as they are working through that, and it’s a supportive environment versus a punitive one, I think is important as well.

Nicole Alvino: Especially back to what you said first about feeling seen and heard. I think that’s a really important part. You said I think you have four children. I have three part of just getting our children to is, is helping and teaching them that failure is good. And oftentimes you learn more when there are those moments of failure and, to be able to, learn together. And so I think that’s. It’s probably a huge foundational piece that is part of the Southwest culture too.

Elizabeth Bryant: Oh, Oh so much. I would not be here if I wasn’t allowed to fail. Multiple times, I assure you.

Nicole Alvino: I love that. I love that. So let’s switch a little bit to talk about some data. Obviously when you look at what you’re doing on the marketing side and the guest experience and the things that you’re learning from and can glean from customer data and providing a tailored experience. How are you using that from, with your people and using it to either continue to guide them along their journey, give them help where they need, or just how you think about that as part of your people function.

Elizabeth Bryant: You know, I think core to human resources and people is listening to our employees and recognizing where they are. And, we certainly have several different efforts and programs. to do that. Whether you’re talking about an employee survey that we do twice a year, and then have an expectation that leaders take that feedback, understand what it says, look at the gaps, the opportunities that exist from that feedback, and then build a road map, and a plan to address that. and then through Things like employee roundtables, and councils. You know, one council that we have that I think is really interesting, and that Gary Kelly, our former CEO, asked us to begin, is a president’s council. And it is a volunteer council where employees can raise their hand, and it’s an interview selection process, but they volunteer their time to sit on this president’s council, and they advise the president. They advise on what’s working, what’s not working, if there’s sentiment that isn’t coming through in the employee surveys. It allows us too to double click on things that we think we may have a pain point, but we’re not sure. We can test with this group, get feedback, and then they’re oftentimes the first that will see things. So if we are rolling out a new, a new uniform, we may test it with this group, get their feedback, before. We try something else. And some of that is because we’ve learned over the years, we are better when we listen to the employees that do the job every single day. They are informed, they want to share their opinion, and we just need to create moments for them to share that.

Nicole Alvino: So what, how many people are in this council and kind of what’s the cadence?

Elizabeth Bryant: Yeah, it varies. They meet on a regular basis. I want to say at least, And they come in six to eight, nine times a year, and they come into headquarters to do that. So they travel in. Fortunately, we have a company airplane, so they take the company jet here. And members that come each time, anywhere from, you know, 25 to 40 employees that will come in, and we’ll typically have topics that we’ll tee up to have roundtable discussions and to gain their feedback.

Nicole Alvino: Again, it goes back to having people feel seen and heard as that foundation and really. And of that growth mindset, too, of the leaders don’t have all of the answers, and there are probably so many things from, you know, every single day, especially interfacing with, your guests and with your customers and things that, that they might have ways to improve that experience that you can take back from the frontline. I think that always in organizations that are focused on hospitality, that’s such an important part as well.

Elizabeth Bryant: Great. You know, we’ve had some really great examples that we’ve gotten from employees and there, some may be related to employee experience. Some may be related to cost savings. One that comes to mind, years ago, we had asked employees to find ways to reduce costs. And a frontline employee wrote in and said, you know, why do we put our name on our garbage bags? That are on the aircraft. It’s just going into the garbage. And we looked into it and we said, that’s a great question. We don’t know. We’ve just always done it. So we stopped doing it. And it was, you know, north of a million dollar savings for us annually. So we do get some of our best ideas, but it takes time to slow down, listen, and create those avenues.

Nicole Alvino: And can you talk a little bit too about how you’re translating your employee experience into that guest experience? I think, you know, those of us who love Southwest Airlines, it is a different type of experience and I’m a firm believer that that it’s a direct correlation or kind of translation and would love your thoughts about how you continue to make sure that that’s a top priority.

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, it’s a great question, and I’ve got to give credit to Colleen Barrett, I think, really was the kind of servant leader, kind of mindset founder here at Southwest, and she really believed, and so did Herb, that if you treat your employee well, you’re they in turn will treat our customers well and by doing that they’ll come back and that will make our shareholders happy. And that has always been true and it’s been core to the culture of Southwest. And so I think if you treat your employees well and by that what I mean is genuinely care about our employees, put them at the center of our decision making model, involve them. in problems and opportunities and challenges, trust them that they know what to do and then they can make the right decisions when you empower people to do that,they will do well, they make good decisions. And so I think it goes back also to that hiring strategy that I talked about earlier. We hire the best people, we train them, and then we trust them. to lean towards the customer, make the right decision. You know, for years, we didn’t have an employee policy handbook. We had guidelines for employees handbook. And the thought behind it was you don’t need a policy for everything. Sometimes it’s about good judgment. And it’s recognizing what’s needed in that moment. And if you’re talking about taking care of our customers, there’s not always a one size fits all. It is about understanding what does the customer need and how can I support the customer? And if our employees feel empowered to do that, chances are they’re going to make the right decision. And I think it all starts with how our employees feel and that they’re treated.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, put the employees at the center, invest in them, and that’s the exceptional customer experience. And then to your point, it translates to shareholder value as well. How are you thinking about, um Just as we think about the workforce and how the workforce is, changing both from an expectation standpoint, as far as technologies or using or not using AI and how you’re, bridging the gap. I imagine that you have kind of early entrance into the workforce, as well as people who have been with you for decades and how you’re working across those lines.

Elizabeth Bryant: Sure, yeah, so it is all about meeting people where they are, right? and I, I think you’re right, it’s hard when you’ve got 75, 000 employees that all have, you know, various backgrounds, expectations, tenure, you know, time in the workplace. how do you give them what they need? And I think it comes down to a couple things, you know. One, it’s about being really clear on what matters to our employees. And that’s where that employee journey comes in. And those moments that matter that I talked about earlier. I think it is about equipping their leader with the tools to be able to identify and meet them where they are. And that’s where the personalization I think comes in. And when we think about communication, it’s not a one size fits all communication model. You know, we have ways that employees can self-serve the information that means something to them. And so, take our flight attendants as an example. Their office is 30, 000 feet in the air, and they don’t necessarily have a desktop. they may be with their crew for three days, and that’s all they’re with. But we have communication that we send directly to them that’s relevant to them based on them, you know, flying that trip for those three days. They’re able to self-serve the information that they might need about maybe it’s an irregular ops moment where they need to self service to find another hotel or get information about the area. We can push that to them or they can pull it as well. And so I think it’s about, timely and relevant, information based on what they need.

Nicole Alvino: it’s hyper personalization at scale. It really is. And it’s, back to that. That’s one way that we can also show people how they’re heard, and seen because we can, we can listen. We know things about them. And also we know if they’re flying a certain route and they need something else, we can push things to them that’s going to be hyper relevant for one group of people and perhaps not relevant for everyone else. I think That’s a real opportunity, that’s what we’re obviously spending a lot, a lot of time doing and, and helping organizations kind of help automate those personalized journeys and be able to give people exactly what they need when they need it to continue to guide them delightfully along the journey.

Elizabeth Bryant: Nicole, you’re reminding me of a program that we have, that I, I think is the goal is intended to do just that is to be there for people when they need it. And it’s called our cohort program. And you know, as an employee, if I’m going through a life event, whether it is positive or negative, I can, Communicate that. So say I’m getting married, I can communicate that I’m getting married and the company can recognize me for that. And so even though my immediate leader may also, and should, and will be recognizing me for that, I will also hear from Bob Jordan, our CEO, or another one of our senior leaders, for that moment, if there’s a loss or a death in the family, I will hear, from our senior leaders. And so it’s just another way that we can. Tell our employees I see you, and I care about you, and to be there for those critical moments.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, I love that. And it’s, then how do we, we do that at scale? Like you said, your direct manager should know about the moments and is there, but how special to get that senior leader or something that’s triggered by that moment or by that communication. And you’re getting this heartfelt message. Perhaps you’re taking time off, you get something upon your return. And all of those things, again, just kind of support you carrying on throughout your journey.

Elizabeth Bryant: That’s right.

Nicole Alvino: So let’s think about, you do obviously so many things well and, and guiding people along their journeys. I’m curious, what is a story that you feel comfortable telling, kind of a favorite, either someone’s employee experience journey or something that’s really stood out to you that you’re super proud of in your tenure?

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, gosh, there are so many. I mean, I can speak, you know, personally, I think, you know, to have a leader that recognizes or see something in you that maybe you don’t see in yourself, is kind of the ultimate. And I think as leaders, we are always responsible for developing talents. And helping people realize their potential. And, so I’ve got multiple personal stories, but I’d love to share one of an employee, years ago. Her name is Christy and she started in technology. She actually came to Southwest as an intern. out of Oklahoma, Go Sooners. So she came to Southwest as an intern. She transitioned full time as a technology employee.I was in leadership development at that time and needed someone to come over and lead our learning management system. And so we needed a strong technical background, but someone who had a passion for learning and Christy had all of that. And so, she trusted when I called her to say, Hey, what do you think about a career change? And coming over to the learning and development side, and she took that leap of faith, and she started that journey over 15 years ago. And since then, she has made six or seven moves in her career all around,training, learning, people, talent, OD, and is now our Vice President of Talent Leadership Development. she’s an example of, she has invested of herself into the company, and the company has invested in her, and she’s got just a, a wonderful career story.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, I love that. I love hearing those stories because to me those are elevated employee journeys and things that you obviously as a manager saw something and could, could give a little nudge and then she was definitely taking advantage of those opportunities. And I just think about that, the full potential that we have to help guide our people. So. Thank you for sharing that.

Elizabeth Bryant: Yeah, of course, thanks for asking.

Nicole Alvino: So we are winding down now. part of cruising altitude and kind of being at that 30, 000 feet. a lot of people just have a heightened sense of clarity and things just come into perspective. So what is your place where you have that? Kind of full clarity and, and heightened perspective.

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, I would say, you know, each day, I try to start the day with as much clarity as possible. And so, I begin every morning at 5: 30 and it starts with a walk with my dogs because in the darkness and the quiet before anybody else is up, the ability to just move and to reflect and to think about. What happened the day before to think about what’s coming up that day Just gives me kind of that quiet and to have that silence. I think just centers me on The challenges that are ahead that time is so important to me and it’s something that I will always try to protect because it may be with four children, it may be the only time I get the entire day and it typically is. So I take that 30 minutes, to myself and allow, allow that to ground me.

Nicole Alvino: I love that. And is there something you feel comfortable sharing about in the, in that dark 30 minutes where something became clear or you worked through a problem or something revealed itself?

Elizabeth Bryant: Yeah, you know, it is a daily, I will tell you every day, I think, I solve problems, in that 30 minutes and I, I think one kind of epic or as I look back on my career where I had a moment and it was, you know, 530 timeframe was, as, you know, the pandemic was just, in the process of, you know, affecting everybody’s lives but we’re, we are an airline and I was struggling with the problem of how do we take care of our employees on the front line? Give them the tools they need while they are putting themselves out there. And they needed to be equipped. They needed the tools. However, we couldn’t bring them to Dallas. So we had a problem in front of us. And I remember reflecting that it shouldn’t be their problem. It should be our problem. How do we take away the friction for our employees? And that was really what I was pondering. How do I give them what they need in a way that I’m not adding to the burden of what they’re facing every day. And that’s where kind of flipping our learning model, the initial idea. I went to the office that day and I pulled my team together and I was like, okay, we can’t ask them to stay compliant. It was a, at the time it was a ramp up. population. How do we keep them compliant working on the ramp when they can’t come in for training? The team took it and proposed an online module that we could actually deliver remotely. So it was a, it was an instructor, but it was a remote delivery. And then they created a model where they could develop it, and we actually got it out the door within four days. So the team did all the work, but it was the quiet in which I had the realization that we need to solve this differently than perhaps we have in the past.

Nicole Alvino: Yeah, I love it. And it was from that framework of putting your people first and saying, this is our problem to solve, to serve them. So, that’s a perfect story to end on. I always love to end my podcasts with two questions so our listeners can take some of your wisdom with them. So it’s the one, so what is the one thing that you never do?

Elizabeth Bryant: Well, I never start with a no. Or that won’t work ever. And I think it’s because we need to always look at the possibilities first, and stay curious. So you won’t hear me say no, not at first anyway.

Nicole Alvino: Not first, not first. I love that.and one thing you always do.

Elizabeth Bryant: I can say, I always try. I’m sure I’m not a hundred percent, but I always try to listen before I respond.

Nicole Alvino: Very, very wise. Well, Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing your incredible stories and what has continued to make Southwest such a great place for all of your employees, for all of your customers, and ultimately for shareholders. Can you let our listeners know where they can follow you and find you online?

Elizabeth Bryant: Yeah, you can absolutely find me on LinkedIn as Elizabeth Bryant at Southwest Airlines. I would love to connect. And Nicole, it’s absolutely been a privilege to talk about one of my favorite topics, which is our employees at Southwest Airlines. So thank you for the, for the privilege.

Nicole Alvino: Yes. Thank you so much for joining me and joining us at First Up. We’re all about putting people first to lift companies up. That was our founding premise. And I just love talking about Personalized employee experiences at scale and making sure that we’re doing everything that we can to help all of our people reach their full potential. you can find me, Nicole Alvino on LinkedIn and look forward to connecting to everyone and seeing you on our next episode of Cruising Altitude. Thank you so much.