On a recent visit to the Southwest Airlines corporate headquarters in Dallas, I saw first hand why their customers love them so much. It's because Southwest loves its employees.

Nearly every single company on the planet will say publicly that they care about their customers, but most only "care" because their customers are the ones with the money. To REALLY care about customers means you care about them as human beings, not as walking cash dispensers.

The best way to see if a company REALLY cares about its customers is to look inside to see if it cares about its employees first.

100% of customers are people and 100% of employees are people. A company either cares about people or it doesn't. It can't care about some and not others. That's like being half pregnant.

There is no such thing as a company that loves its employees that doesn't also love its customers.  And it's impossible for a company to claim it cares about its customers if it doesn't care about its employees first. And "to care," I don't mean to care about them as robots paid to do a job, I mean care about them as human beings.

All the "best companies to work for" are also the best companies to do business with.  Container Store,Zappos and Whole Foods, are just three examples of companies known to care about their people and, as a result, are also loved by their customers. It is that combination that makes these companies and others like them more innovative, able to charge a premium if they want to and more financially successful.  They don't treat their people well because they are leaders, they are leaders because they treat their people well.

The picture above is one of the pictures I took at the Southwest HQ . EVERY hallway there is filled with pictures of their people. It's not the pictures on the wall that make the culture strong. The culture is strong because they go to great lengths to hire people who "belong." They go out of their way to care about their employees as human beings. The pictures on the wall are just one of the things they do to prove how much they love their people.

Southwest is a great place to work and their people get along. As a result, their people REALLY care about the customers and their customers repay them with undying loyalty.

I wish there were more companies who REALLY cared about their employees as much as Southwest, because then we'd all enjoy doing business with more companies and more companies would enjoy doing business with us.

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Everyone knows WHAT they do. Some know HOW they do it. But very few know WHY they do what they do.  Only those who know WHY are ones who lead.  Discover your Why at WHY University.

There is a problem with any company that says, "we focus on providing value" or "we are a value driven organization."

What do they mean?

There is no standardized definition of the word "value" in business. It's a relative term.

A company focused on "providing value for our shareholders," for example, may act very differently than a company focused on "providing value for our customers."  What's good for one is not always good for the other.  And when a company talks about "shareholder value" - is that long-term or short-term?  The decisions that drive one are often different than the decisions that drive the other.

And what does it mean to "offer your customers value?"  Does that mean the product will cost a lot but every penny is worth it because of the superior quality? Or does it mean that the product or service is really cheap?

To truly offer value, what you need to provide is information.  Let people know what you mean by value so that they can judge you relative to their wants, needs and desires.

"For people who value the ultimate quality no matter the price, we offer the value you desire."

"Want great value? You won't believe how much stuff you'll get for so little money."

"We focus on offering shareholders value on a quarterly basis."

And my personal favorite (because it's true), "Our company is focused on offering our shareholders the best long-term value because we value our customers even more.  And our customers should feel comfortable that they will always be looked after, because we value our employees the most."

Only use the word value when you clearly explain what you mean.  If you don't, people will quickly learn not to value anything you say.

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Everyone knows WHAT they do. Some know HOW they do it. But very few know WHY they do what they do.  Only those who know WHY are ones who lead.  Discover your Why at WHY University.

Dan Hesse, the CEO of Sprint, is back making commercials for his company.  In the latest version, he is doing more of what he did in previous ads - selling on price.  The top guy in the company, the big boss, numero uno, looks straight into the camera and tells you Sprint's latest calling plan is better than the competition's. That's what the most senior person in the company wants us to know about his company - they're cheap.  

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Phil Knight, the charismatic founder and former CEO of Nike. Knight was the keynote speaker at a conference and, like the CEO of Sprint, he too made a case for why you should choose Nike over the competition.  But Knight took a different approach.  He didn’t say what Nike does or how they are better.  And he certainly didn't attempt to differentiate the company based on price.  Instead, he told a story that explains Why Nike exists.

Looking across the audience, Knight asked those who run to stand up and a good percentage of the room stood up.  Then he asked those who run three or more times a week to keep standing; everyone else was asked to sit down.

Looking out at the people left standing, Knight said, "we are for you." "When you get up at 5 o’clock in the morning to go for a run," he went on, "even if it’s cold and wet out, you go. And when you get to mile 4, we’re the one standing under the lamp post, out there in the cold and wet with you, cheering you on.  We’re the inner athlete.  We’re the inner champion.”

Without a single mention of their latest technologies or which athletes wear their products, Knight makes a vastly more compelling case for Why we want Nike in our lives. Nike may or may not be better, but we are drawn to them because they have a cause.  They know and we know Why they do what they do.  The same can not be said for Sprint and so many other companies.

Phil Knight knows Why Nike exists and he tells us.  It is the same purpose, cause or belief that inspires his employees as well as his customers.  “Just Do It” is more than a tag line, it’s a motto.  It’s a cheer.  It’s a rallying cry. Are Sprint employees inspired to be cheap?

The mistake Mr. Hesse and so many other marketers make is that they tell us what the company does and how they think they are better, but there is not a single mention of Why the company exists in the first place.  And it’s the Why that matters most in a purchase decision.  People don’t buy what you do, they buy Why you do it. And Why is what truly differentiates one company from another.

Nike doesn’t want to make products for everyone, they want to make products for champions.  Champions are not the ones who always win races; champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. Champion is a state of mind. They are devoted.  They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others.  Champions are not just athletes. Champions are entrepreneurs, politicians, nurses, soldiers, students and Hall of Famers.  Nike wants to make products for all champions. 

What Phil Knight can do that so many other CEOs can't is put his company’s Why into words. And because he can, so can all those who work at the company.  And because everyone in his company can put the Why into words, so can we.  Sprint and Nike are both companies built on brand equity in industries in which there is little to no real difference between one company's products and another's. But we all know what Nike stands for. We only know what Sprint does and we may or may not believe they are better or cheaper, but we certainly have no clue Why they exist. 

Before consumers can know your Why, you must know it. If you don’t know Why you do what you do, how will anyone else?

Your Why starts as a feeling.  Call it drive or passion or inspiration or something in your gut, it doesn’t matter.  Only when that feeling is translated into words can it become actionable and scalable.  Only when others can repeat your Why as clearly as you can, can you lead. And when you lead, you never have to sell on price. Someone should tell Dan Hesse to stop talking about price and start talking about Why.  Come on Mr. Hesse...just do it.

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Everyone knows WHAT they do. Some know HOW they do it. But very few know WHY they do what they do.  Only those who know WHY are ones who lead.  Discover your Why at WHY University.

Dwight Eisenhower said, "planning is everything, the plan is nothing." I didn't know what he meant until recently.

Whether you're starting a business or managing your career, when we set out on the journey the plan often look like this:

Our goals are clear and the path is clear.  All that's left to do is to follow the plan - to walk down the path.

But when we actually start the business or set out on our careers, the path actually looks more like this:

In reality, most plans are rendered useless almost as soon as they are put in motion. There is still some value in the original plan, however.  It defines the goal or the outcome we desire.  And that's the most important part of the original plan - that the destination is clear; the reason you're on the journey in the first place.

When you looked at the second picture, did you see only the crowd blocking the path or did you look into the distance to see the buildings - the destination?  Even in this little exercise, looking at the building and wondering how to get there is vastly more inspiring than looking at the crowd and wondering how you'll get through it. The same is true in our businesses and in our careers. We often lose sight of the destination and can see only the people coming at us in all directions.  We see only obstacles. But simply by looking up, looking ahead, the obstacles seem to become less daunting.   

With your eyes refocused, start planning as you go and start planning ahead. Learn to be flexible. Learn to anticipate; something with which the original plan offers no help.

Should you move to the left or the right of the man in the baseball cap? What about the guy in the sunglasses?  Soon you'll have to pass the guy in the orange jacket. Or perhaps there's a completely different route to take altogether.

As a fun little exercise, try this when you actually walk down the street. Focus ahead at what you'll have to pass and have in your mind a plan of action.  You'll be amazed how much quicker you get to your destination and you'll be astounded how much more fun you'll have getting there.  The crowd will no longer be a sea of obstacles, and the journey will feel like a game.

Then do the same for your business or your career. The plan, you see, is nothing. Planning is everything.

If you believe someone would enjoy and benefit from this post, please share it. Just click on the + Share button and you will see lots of options for sharing it with friends including email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thanks!

Everyone knows WHAT they do. Some know HOW they do it. But very few know WHY they do what they do.  Only those who know WHY are ones who lead.  Discover your Why at WHY University.