In the airline industry, Customers travel for a broad spectrum of reasons, and when experiences do not go as planned, emotions can run high. In those moments, frontline Employees represent both the first and last opportunity to ensure Customers feel welcomed, cared for, and appreciated. As Leaders, our responsibility is to support Teams in navigating these interactions with clarity, consistency, and the right mindset.

Over time, I’ve come back to two guiding principles that help anchor that mindset, both of which align closely with how we lead at Southwest.

First, don’t take things personally. When Customer emotions are elevated, a natural reaction is to put up a defense—deflecting blame, trying to find a silver lining, or in a worst-case scenario, matching the negative energy with a poor attitude. While we can’t always control what happened, we can control how we respond.

In my nine-year career at Southwest, I have been fortunate to be supported and led by individuals who modeled integrity and did so with resolute consistency. That kind of leadership not only instills trust but teaches you how to lead others with that same commitment, which is crucial for navigating work that presents challenges that may not always have a clear or obvious solution.

Healthy teams are built through leadership behaviors that create both trust and healthy conflict. These elements may seem to work against each other; however, they must coexist. The strongest teams are those where individuals feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and admit mistakes. They also hold themselves and one another to a high standard of performance and ownership.

Like it or not, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. From the basketball court to the executive suite, politics and confusion are more the rule than the exception. Why? Because teams are made of imperfect, fallible human beings. At the same time, and in beautiful irony, being exceedingly human is also why teams succeed.

A former and quite successful client best expressed the power of teamwork when he once told me, “If you could get all the people in the organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.” When I repeat this to leaders, they immediately nod their heads but in a desperate sort of way. They grasp the truth while simultaneously surrendering to the perceived impossibility of it. Fortunately, there is hope!