Just Try Something Crazy

There are times when you are in situations where none of the outcomes are very desirable and it seems you must make the best of a bad situation by choosing the lesser of two evils. But maybe, just maybe there is another path out there if you use your imagination.

In 1992 Southwest Airlines faced a high stakes dilemma. It's much-advertised slogan. "just plane smart" was, unfortunately, too similar to the "plane smart" slogan already being used by Stevens Aviation, an airline sales company in South Carolina.

It seemed that a lawsuit was imminent.

But a lawsuit is how ordinary CEO's settle their differences.

Herb Kelleher, Southwest's (crazy like a fox) CEO was no ordinary CEO.  Along with the CEO of Stevens Aviation, he staged "Malice in Dallas". The two men actually agreed to arm wrestle for the right to use the slogan! The newspapers and TV journalist jumped on the story giving each company enormous publicity.

Amid much fanfare and pomp, Southwest's Kelleher lost the match. With the crowd cheering and chanting, he was carried off in a stretcher. And what about that "plane smart" trademark? Stevens Aviation agreed to let Southwest use it anyway.

By trying something a little crazy Herb not only solved the problem, avoided litigation but he made it so that both companies received a lot of great publicity.

Too often when confronted with a problem we can only see one path ahead of us. in this case all of Herb's lawyers were telling him to get ready for a long drawn out lawsuit but Herb was a guy who was willing to think outside of the box and he let his mind wander until he found another possible path.

Yes, one that was a little crazy, but that's what made it so awesome.

When it seems you only have undesirable paths in front of you then maybe it's time to try something crazy.