It's usually a dangerous thing to write a book review without having finished reading it. In this case, I'm making an exception. It'll be going with me to Japan this week (nothing like a 14-hr. flight for catching up on some reading) and I wanted to share this with you before leaving.

First of all, it's a beautifully packaged book. Smooth, semi-gloss paper, tons of photos, drawings of peanuts scattered throughout the book (so realistic you want to pick them right off the page!), stories set off in bright gradient yellow, "Success in a Nutshell" pointers at the end of each chapter...and that's just for starters.

Each page of this up-beat (management!!) book is filled with spirit, love, and the bottom line. Incompatible, you say? Nope. By the way, in case you're wondering, NUTS! is "Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success" (its subtitle).

Why am I so excited about this book? Why do I want you to read it? No, I don't own any stock in Bard Press, its publisher. It's because I think it describes one of the best blends of humanity and business success this side of eternity. Let me give you two examples from the "yellow pages" toward the back of the book. (Sorry, I cheated...I haven't actually READ that far yet).

On page 318 in the chapter "The Legend Lives On" president Herb Kelleher's Message to the Field a couple of years ago reads in part:

"When you're sitting around with your grandchildren, I want you to be able to tell them that being connected to Southwest Airlines was one of the finest things that ever happened to you in your entire life. I want you to be able to say, Southwest Airlines ennobled and enriched my life; it made me better, and bigger, and stronger than I ever could have been alone."

Wow!

And for those of you who are rolling your eyes, thinking "goody two-shoes" here, a few stats from page 326:

SIZE OF FLEET
1971: 4
1995: 224

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT YEAR END
1971: 195
1995: 19,933

NUMBER OF TRIPS FLOWN
1971: 6,051
1995: 685,524

NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS CARRIED
1971: 108,554
1995: 44,785,573

TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES
1971: $2,133,000
1995: $2,872,751,000

NET INCOME (LOSS)
1971: ($3,753,000)
1995: $182,626,000

Flying Southwest Airlines is a real treat, by the way, if you haven't had the opportunity (and why not? They're the lowest price carrier in the business). A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to fly from Chicago's Midway airport to Lexington, Kentucky with a client from Milan. The usually boring safety routine (usually given by bored flight attendants) would have put Seinfeld to shame and we were welcomed when we arrived with a serenade (!) about the city, staying in our seats, contents shifting in overhead bins and all the usual stuff.

Get this book. Read it piecemeal while you put your own creative flair to work from the ideas it generates. You can find and purchase it directly at: