Unsolicited Advice: How Southwest Airlines lost its way

Southwest has long been a beloved, low-cost airline with free checked bags, minimal fees, and one class of seating that made flying feel simple and fair. But recent reversals of those policies, in favor of the bottom line, have left both customers and employees feeling betrayed. In this Unsolicited Advice segment, Anne and Frances take a closer look at what Southwest got so right in the beginning, the decisions that led to this moment, and what CEO Bob Jordan could still do to turn the plane around.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to many jobs—think food service and frontline retail—conditions can be miserable and demoralizing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, Anne and Frances call in MIT professor Zeynep Ton, author of The Good Job Strategy and founder of The Good Jobs Institute, to investigate the systems that make jobs bad and reveal what it takes to make them better for everyone. Zeynep breaks down the four elements of her “good job strategy,” and together they look at companies that have made these changes and are outperforming because of it. Featured guestFollow Zeynep Ton on LinkedIn and at https://www.zeynepton.com/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokChaptersWHAT IS A GOOD JOB AND WHAT ARE THE STAKESCOMPANY EXAMPLES THAT USE THE GOOD JOB STRATEGY DOING IT SMALL SCALE WITH MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQFOUR OPERATIONAL CHOICES THAT LEAD TO GOOD JOB OUTCOMES1- FOCUS AND SIMPLIFY 2 - STANDARDIZATION & EMPOWERMENT3 - CROSSTRAINING4 - OPERATE WITH SLACKHOW TO APPLY THESE CHANGES TO YOUR SMALL TEAMFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What gets in the way of good communication? In this special Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Matt Abrahams, Stanford lecturer and bestselling author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, to answer questions from listeners about how to communicate effectively. One listener struggles giving feedback to their elders, and another has a hard time speaking from the heart. A third listener finds themself getting defensive when asked questions, and the last caller wants to learn to speak like a leader without using empty jargon.Featured guestFollow Matt Abrahams on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://mattabrahams.com/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you mess up, a sincere apology can make all the difference. But making things right takes more than a simple “I’m sorry.” In this episode, Adam takes us from the pre-kindergarten classroom to Formula One’s race track to investigate what it takes to make amends, right wrongs, and repair relationships. Guests: pre-K teacher Kath Konecky; management professor Beth Polin; Formula One executive Mark Gallagher.For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Communication is a performance, and if you want to land it, you need to approach it like a performer. In the second part of this essential Toolkit segment, Anne and Frances break down their “deeply/simply” communication framework, share practical advice on how to take control of your presence as a speaker, and make a persuasive case for practicing in low-stakes environments. Frances also shares a surprising piece of style advice.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words—but the words you choose can have a profound impact on the actions of the people around you. In the first part of this essential Toolkit segment, Anne and Frances break down the learnable skills that everyone can use to communicate more confidently and effectively. They share practical ways to help others avoid embarrassment, get on the same “frequency" with your conversation partners, and deliver comments that are clear, concise, and persuasive.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giving and receiving feedback is an important part of any job or relationship—but it can be tricky to get it right. This season, Anne and Frances are introducing a new segment called Toolkit: a practical guide to ideas, tools, and frameworks that can help you reach your goals at work and beyond. In this episode, they break down the different kinds of workplace feedback and share common pitfalls that can keep you and your colleagues from reaching your full potential. They also offer actionable tips for delivering both praise and critique, along with advice for what to do with criticism that falls short of constructive.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, recently carried out a massive layoff that eliminated more than a third of its staff. In this episode of Unsolicited Advice, Anne and Frances dive deeper into the underlying issues affecting the paper and the journalism industry at large, arguing that Bezos should sell the company to a team of can-do entrepreneurs who are willing to truly listen to the data, take big swings, and rebuild the paper’s reputation at a time when great journalism is more important than ever.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all carry insecurities and negative beliefs that can quietly hold us back—but rewriting that narrative is up to us. In this episode, Anne and Frances call on leadership expert and executive coach Muriel Wilkins, author of the new book Leadership Unblocked, to unpack the self-doubt that often stands in our way. Together, they break down Muriel’s seven most common leadership blockers, examine where these limiting beliefs come from, and answer listener questions about how to get what you want at work.Featured guestFollow Muriel Wilkins on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://www.murielwilkins.com/Buy Leadership Unblocked by Muriel WilkinsConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When an organization lays people off, those who remain are often left scrambling to find their footing – and hold other people up – in an environment that no longer feels stable. In the wake of ongoing tech layoffs and the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the public sector, Anne and Frances are back with a new Unsolicited Advice segment to set the record straight about what layoffs mean for an organization — and the responsibility leaders have to own what went wrong.This episode originally aired on March 3, 2025.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.