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

Kelleher Displayed Irreverence

When Kelleher was in a talk session one time where there were questions and answers going back and forth, he displayed several qualities that were a crucial part of his makeup and success at Southwest Airlines (LUV).

One person reported it this way:

"In a rollicking session, Kelleher displayed the passion, irreverence, and can-do attitude that has characterized the rise of Southwest from long shot to long-term success in a business that's notorious for its financial turmoil."

I want to focus on irreverance for a moment, because there are times in business when we can be too reverent.

A good example of what this means is in sports when a team is facing a storied opponent with a lot of history and past success. One thing they make sure the team talks about is not giving them too much respect. If you give someone or something too much respect, you end up competing at a much lower level and usually will end up losing.

That's part of the power that many great managers have, is that they don't respect or give reverence to things of the past simply because at one time they were successful; that includes great companies, managers, products, services or marketing. In the business and management world it's a legitimate question to ask: What have you done for me lately?

Being irreverent doesn't mean there's no respect, it's just that respect can't be the deciding factor in making decisions or guiding a business and people.

I hope you understand what I'm getting at here. I'm not talking about personal disrespect for individual people, I'm talking about having too much awe for things or people that may have worked well in the past, and don't compete at a high level as a result.

Irreverence is a healthy attitude when it's directed toward the right things. In business things must be adapted, innovated and be open to change all the time. Irreverence helps to keep us on our toes and ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Kelleher had this at a high level.

Other Herb Kelleher Sources:

A Culture of Commitment

HERB KELLEHER

The wild turkey

Herb Kelleher on the Record, Part 1

Herb Kelleher Talks about How Southwest Airlines Grew from Entrepreneurial Startup to Industry Leadership

Belief Model for The Leadership of Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines)

Herb Kelleher, Chairman, CEO and President, Southwest Airlines

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