In this book, Gordon Bethune offers insight into his management and leadership style. Bethune has successfully turned around Continental Airlines: it was a company that went through bankruptcy court twice and whose employees were so embarrassed to work for the company that they ripped the corporate logo off their uniforms; in contrast, it now is a company that has dramatically improved its on-time performance, baggage handling, and quality of the planes themselves, and has radically reduced customer complaints. This book covers topics ranging from how to improve the quality of what your company does (whether it’s a product or a service, as Continental’s is); how not to cut costs so far to the bone that you lose business because you’re producing something so cheaply that nobody wants it anymore; how to truly change a corporate culture and improve employee morale; how to measure what’s truly important to your business; and other management ideas. Bethune naturally draws on his experiences at Continental, Boeing, and other companies he’s worked atlike other books in this genre, such as Andy Grove’s book (which describes Intel) or Al Dunlap’s book (which describes Scott Paper).
Book Details:
- Author: Gordon Bethune
- ISBN: 9780470254202
- Year Published: 1998
- Pages: 304
- BISAC: BUS041000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Management
About the Book and Topic:
In this book, Gordon Bethune offers insight into his management and leadership style. Bethune has successfully turned around Continental Airlines: it was a company that went through bankruptcy court twice and whose employees were so embarrassed to work for the company that they ripped the corporate logo off their uniforms; in contrast, it now is a company that has dramatically improved its on-time performance, baggage handling, and quality of the planes themselves, and has radically reduced customer complaints. This book covers topics ranging from how to improve the quality of what your company does (whether it’s a product or a service, as Continental’s is); how not to cut costs so far to the bone that you lose business because you’re producing something so cheaply that nobody wants it anymore; how to truly change a corporate culture and improve employee morale; how to measure what’s truly important to your business; and other management ideas. Bethune naturally draws on his experiences at Continental, Boeing, and other companies he’s worked atlike other books in this genre, such as Andy Grove’s book (which describes Intel) or Al Dunlap’s book (which describes Scott Paper).
Before Bethune became CEO of Continental Airlines, morale was so bad that the company’s baggage handlers ripped the Continental name off their coveralls because they didn’t want other airlines’ staff to know what company they worked for. Since Bethune became CEO, Continental has been rated the first or second not only in baggage handling, but also on-time performance and in getting the fewest customer complaints. It has also been rated the best airline in terms of customer satisfaction on domestic routes of 500 miles or more and #2 on shorter flights, according to a survey of 2,600 frequent flyers, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. It was named “Airline of the Year” by Air Transport World, a trade publication. In 1994, Continental lost $619 million; in 1995, it earned $215 million, and in the first 9 months of 1996, it earned $278 million, up 49% on the year-earlier period. The company’s stock has increased from $6.50 a share in January 1995 to a high of $55.63 in May 1996. Sick leave is down 20%; on-the-job injuries have decreased, and the company has seen an increase in employment applications. Labor groups are so happy that they chipped in to buy Bethune a $22,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle for Christmas in 1995, as thanks for saving the company from bankruptcy. This book shows how Bethune achieved such success by describing his overall management and leadership style.
Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune offers his insights and ideas for successfully turning around a limping company. * Includes chapters on improving the quality of your company, how to cut costs without losing a quality service or product, improving employee morale, and much more. * Bethune’s common sense ideas-“You can make a pizza so cheaply no one will want to eat it”-which have received much attention in the press, are all included here.
About the Author
Gordon Bethune is Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines. Prior to joining Continental, he was vice president and general manager of customer service at Boeing. Bethune was also a senior operations executive at Braniff Airways, Western, and Piedmont Airlines. Scott Huler is a professional journalist. He has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other leading North American newspapers and magazines.