Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Make it Bigger Than Them

Kelleher continually impressed upon his people that Southwest (LUV) was bigger than them, something that they could be proud of working for years down the road.

To his people in the field he would always say, "that my hope is that when they're talking to their grandchildren, they say that Southwest Airlines was one of the finest experiences they ever had; that it helped them grow beyond anything they thought possible."

He added that it wasn't just a tool to use to motivate, but very real to him. He also said that "We are not afraid to talk to our people with emotion," because for Kelleher, it was genuine emotion within him that moved him to express himself the way he did.

Many people are rootless and hungry to be part of a tribe, Southwest was the workers' tribe. They had bought in fully to that reality because it originated with Kelleher who genuinely felt and believed what he expressed.

He said concerning these types of things that "you need to spend more time on the intangibles than the tangibles to create that kind of buy-in." For example, he added that "We're not afraid to tell them, 'We love you.' Because we do."

The only way this works when it is the genuine belief and feeling from those in leadership. Kelleher genuinely believed it and his people and the results have spoken for themselves.

Other Herb Kelleher Sources:

Herbert David Kelleher

Herb Kelleher: Losing Control

ENTREPRENEURS: BORN OR MADE? A CONVERSATION WITH HERB KELLEHER OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Herb Kelleher An Entrepreneur For All Seasons

Herb Kelleher quotes

Herb Kelleher: The Thought Leader Interview

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