Leisa: Hello, I’m Leisa Holland-Nelson, and welcome to another edition of Women Mean Business, where we’re going to take you up close and personal with extraordinary women doing extraordinary things.  My guest today is Lorraine Grubbs, former Southwest Airlines Executive, and author of Creating Happy Workplaces. You’re a bestselling author; Lorraine, welcome to Women Mean Business.

Lorraine: Thank you, Leisa. It’s nice to be here.

Leisa: I mean, tell us about what you do, and your company, and this incredible new book that’s coming out, How to Create a Happy Workplace.

Lorraine: Thank you. Well, the book has actually been in progress for a number of years because I have been working with companies in the area of engagement and loyalty, and it’s all about the people. And so, for me, the frustrating part about working with, sometimes, with companies, was that they would bring me in for one part of that whole process only. I finally decided I need to write a book about the whole process, and so this book is launching my happy workplace system, and then to benchmark how it works, I actually interviewed eight companies here in Houston, CEOs. After I saw their names appear, their award-winning companies, top employers in the Houston Chronicle, and so I called them and said I’d love to interview you, and so I’ve interviewed them in each of the four areas that I call beacons.

Leisa: And they are, the beacons are..?

Lorraine: Is hiring and onboarding, is leading, is reward and recognition, and the final one is how do I create owners of my employees? How do I make them feel like owners?

Leisa: I love that. I love that. Well congratulations and thank you for being here.

Lorraine: Thank you.

Leisa: There you have it, another extraordinary woman doing extraordinary things. I’m Leisa Holland-Nelson, author and voice of Women Mean Business. You can find us on Facebook at Women Mean Business, or follow me on Twitter @lhnelson, or come back again next week for another edition.