Good Communication Leads to Success

When I worked as a TV reporter in Dallas/Fort Worth in the mid to late 1980s, I had the good fortune of meeting Herb Kelleher, the co-founder and former CEO of the very successful Southwest Airlines. The energetic and plain-talking executive helped make the no-frills Southwest Airlines make a name for itself and become very profitable.

During one press conference (the topic escapes me) Kelleher was asked what type of advice he could give to young people who are just starting out in business. Kelleher said he believed in order for anyone to become successful in business, any kind of business, that it’s vital to have good interpersonal communications skills. He stated he looked for strong communicators when hiring employees.

Kelleher said that his goal had always been to build a company with employees displaying strong communications skills, which he believed served as the basis for success. Many years later, Kelleher reinforced these sentiments during an interview with Business in the Summer of 2004 when he said:

“It has to be a continuous stream of one-on-one communication, not like you sit down and say, ‘Boy, communication is pretty important. Let’s really communicate for the next six months and then move on to what’s really significant.’ It has to be part of your fabric; it has to be something that you do really as a product of your soul.”

Whether a job prospect is interviewing for a high level position with Southwest Airlines or for a night manager post at Burger King, it is important for that person to realize in order to stand out among the other candidates that possessing and displaying solid communication skills will provide an advantage.

Interpersonal communication skills will influence how effective a person is in all roles in life: spouse, friend, co-worker, or manager. We must utilize these skills whether engaging in a face-to-face conversation or some form of computer mediated communication.

Communication is more than what one says or hears, or how one acts. Communication is comprised of many components ranging from gestures, to facial expressions and even down to the clothing a person wears. We have to realize much of our communication is communication without words.

The lack of communication skills, or insufficient communication between people, is one of the greatest contributors to many of the problems we face at home, in school or at the workplace. Lacking the proper communication skills will leave an employee lacking in other areas of life. Only by enhancing our ability to speak, listen, communicate and exchange ideas can we expect to improve all aspects of our lives.

Herb Kelleher certainly figured it out.