At its core, all authentic growth depends on more customers wanting more of what your company offers. Any other drivers - pricing gimmicks, heroic marketing efforts, forced acquisitions - are ultimately destructive.

Engaged, enthusiastic, and loyal employees are pivotal drivers of growth and health in any organization.

The sad fact is that it would be fair to say that United is a generic, bureaucratic, tired company. A sort of DMV in the sky. No real culture. No real strategy. No real expectations for employees or customers. All of which is a shame.

God bless those employees at United who somehow continue to be gracious and patient and generous with customers even while bearing the brunt of a broken company themselves.

Empty values statements create cynical and dispirited employees, alienate customers, and undermine managerial credibility.

Enron - although an extreme case - is hardly the only company with a hollow set of values.