Avoid common pitfalls

- Herb Kelleher, co-founder…and former CEO of Southwest Airlines,…once said, "We have a strategic plan,…"it's called doing things."…He makes a great point.…Developing strategies shouldn't be…an overly academic or formal exercise,…with the result being a plan…that's really not put to use.…Let's discuss five common pitfalls.…One is building an overly complicated plan.…I've seen strategies that are dozens…and dozens of pages long…that nobody really understands.…

Your customer service strategy…should be a living and breathing part…of day-to-day decisions and operations.…A second pitfall, and on the other end of the spectrum,…is not having a plan.…Herb Kelleher wasn't suggesting you don't need a strategy.…Southwest very much has one…and includes flying the same aircraft type…so that crews and planes are interchangeable,…treating employees well so that they treat customers well,…and having easy-to-understand routes and fares.…Don't wing it.…Not having a plan at all…is not gonna produce good results.…

A third pitfall is thinking…