Do the Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits

Do the Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits

by James F. Parker
Released November 2007
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780768681604

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Book description

People matter most. Everyone knows that. But most companies would rather slash costs, cut headcount, replace well-paid employees with lower-paid employees or outsourced workers, and reduce customer service. No wonder so many fail and how others focused on doing the right thing can remain profitable and growth-oriented for decades. James Parker shows why "doing the right thing" isn't just naïve "feel-goodism": it's the most powerful rule for business success. Parker's stories won't just convince readers: they'll move them. He tells how, after 9/11, Southwest made three pivotal decisions: no layoffs, no pay cuts, and "no-penalty, no-questions-asked refunds" for any customer wanting them. The result: Southwest's revenue passenger miles for 4Q01 dropped by only 0.5%, and its market cap soon exceeded all its major competitors combined. These pivotal decisions grew naturally from its culture of mutual respect and trust: Parker reveals how that culture developed, offering deeply personal insights into the principles that can make any team, organization or company strong. Discover how great leaders are found at every level, "hire for attitude and train for skills," achieve unparalleled teamwork, and actually make work fun. Powerful and inspirational, Do the Right Thing proves that if one wants to build a great business, people really do matter most.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Contents
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. About the Author
  6. Introduction
  7. Chapter 1. Stumbling into the Business World
  8. Chapter 2. 9/11
  9. Chapter 3. The Question Was Answered...
  10. Chapter 4. ...But I Don't Want to Be a Corporate Bureaucrat
  11. Chapter 5. Getting Off the Ground
  12. Chapter 6. The Ten-Minute Turnaround
  13. Chapter 7. The Great Texas Whiskey War
  14. Chapter 8. I Just Couldn't Resist
  15. Chapter 9. Some of the Obvious Things I Learned
  16. Chapter 10. We're in What Kind of Business?
  17. Chapter 11. With a Little Help from Our Competitors...
  18. Chapter 12. Leaders Are Everywhere
  19. Chapter 13. Great Organizations Have Great Leaders at Every Level
  20. Chapter 14. In Case You Didn't Get It... Great Organizations Have Great Leaders at Every Level
  21. Chapter 15. Great Leaders Make the People Around Them Better
  22. Chapter 16. People Recognize a Phony
  23. Chapter 17. People Follow a Leader They Trust
  24. Chapter 18. Who Wants the "Best" People?
  25. Chapter 19. Looking for the Right People
  26. Chapter 20. Interview for Attitude
  27. Chapter 21. Attitudes Also Matter at 30,000 Feet
  28. Chapter 22. Everybody Remembers Their Interview
  29. Chapter 23. Every Job Affects Others
  30. Chapter 24. People Need to Understand Their Mission
  31. Chapter 25. Shared Goals, Shared Knowledge, and Mutual Respect = A Shared Mission
  32. Chapter 26. Do People Think Like Employees or Owners?
  33. Chapter 27. Making Employees Owners
  34. Chapter 28. A Sense of Ownership
  35. Chapter 29. Make Work Fun
  36. Chapter 30. Build a Customer Service Culture
  37. Chapter 31. Everything He Did Was So I Could Come to Work...
  38. Chapter 32. Fun Can Have a Purpose
  39. Chapter 33. Celebrate Success and Achievement
  40. Chapter 34. Creating Entrepreneurs
  41. Chapter 35. Encourage Unconventional Thinking
  42. Chapter 36. Suggestion Boxes
  43. Chapter 37. Many Roads Lead to the Promised Land
  44. Chapter 38. Define the Right Goals and Give People Room to Succeed
  45. Chapter 39. The Two-Minute Drill
  46. Chapter 40. Give People Something to Believe In—Define a Grand Mission
  47. Chapter 41. Create a Culture in Which People Want to Do the Right Things
  48. Chapter 42. It's a Family Affair
  49. Chapter 43. The Tactics of Success May Vary, but the Principles Are Constant
  50. Chapter 44. Be Yourself and Have Some Fun
  51. Chapter 45. It's a Round World
  52. Index

Product information

  • Title: Do the Right Thing: How Dedicated Employees Create Loyal Customers and Large Profits
  • Author(s): James F. Parker
  • Release date: November 2007
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780768681604