July 8, 2025 | Issue Archive
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Southwest Airlines just did the unthinkable. Should you?
Over the past several weeks, Southwest Airlines announced the END of two of the most beloved parts of their brand identity:
🚫 Free checked bags.
🚫 Open seating.
For decades, those weren’t just policies—they were who Southwest was.
And I’ve loved it.
But as CEO Bob Jordan put it, the world changed. And if they didn’t change, they’d be left behind.
👉 This is RADICAL ADAPTABILITY.
Not tweaking. Not fine-tuning.
Ending what built your success… before it becomes your downfall.
So, what do you do when your identity—the very thing that made you successful—is what’s holding you back from what’s next?
7 Signs It’s Time to Rethink Your Identity
(Heads-up, some of these are going to sting... at least they did for me.)
- You’re protecting the past instead of creating the future.
If your energy is going toward preserving what was, you’re not free to build what could be.
- You’re known for something that no longer solves your customer’s biggest problem.
Like Southwest’s free bags, beloved doesn’t always equal relevant.
- You’re clinging to comfort while the market evolves.
Comfort is cozy… until it costs you momentum.
- You’re stuck in the Crazy Eight.
Bouncing between frustration (“Why won’t things change?”) and fear (“What if I let go?”) without making a real move forward.
- Your traditions have become “safe problems.”
You complain about them but secretly feel safer staying stuck than risking change.
- Your actions don’t match your aspirations.
You say you want growth, innovation, impact—but your choices reflect safety, not courage.
- You feel the “nagging” sense there’s more.
If something inside you is whispering (or screaming), “This isn’t it,” don’t ignore it. Growth is calling.
THIS ENDS NOW
Identify one habit, belief, or behavior that’s no longer serving you—and let it go.
What’s one part of your identity—or your business—that used to serve you but no longer does?
⚠ It could be a mindset (“I’m the fixer”)...
⚠ A role (“I’m the solo player”)...
⚠ A story (“People count on me for this”)...
Name it. Face it. End it.
Because what got you here… probably won’t get you there.
THIS MOMENT MATTERS
One simple, actionable step to take to create a ripple effect of change in your life
Try on the new identity today.
You don’t have to reinvent your whole life overnight.
If you were leading from growth instead of comfort, what’s one thing you would:
✔ say?
✔ do?
✔ end?
Take one step. Feel it.
You’re not locked in forever—you’re experimenting with what’s possible.
Bob Jordan didn’t end free bags and open seating because he stopped caring about customers.
He did it because he cares about serving customers in the future.
That’s Radical Adaptability:
Letting go of what made you... so you can become what’s needed next.
Want to go deeper?
I unpack this shift in identity—and what it means for leaders—on my blog:
“Rethink Your Identity: Time to Drop the Heavy Bag That’s Holding You Back?”
Up we go—
P.S. If your team is navigating uncertainty, I’d love to support you. This is the work I do—in keynotes, workshops, and real conversations that help people reconnect to peace and power in the moments that matter. Just click here and book a time to chat.