Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly understands the point. The company has had no layoffs in its thirty-eight years, and while he makes no promises about the future, he knows what's at stake. "It's one thing to say it, but you have to prove to your people that you really do love them and care about them," he says. "And if you have layoffs every five years, or if you make a promise to your employees that you don't fulfill, and you do that often, well, it's kind of hard to hold out that your employees are really the most valued part of the company."