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

How Being a Lawyer Helped Kelleher - Part Three

In this final section of the three-part series on how Kelleher's training and experience as a lawyer helped him as CEO of Southwest Airlines (LUV), we'll finish by looking at the importance of finding a resolution to issues.

First, a brief reminder of the original two attributes of being a lawyer that helped Kelleher. The first was finding the facts rather than listening to gossip, and the second was getting down into what the real issues were - not the symptoms of the issue.

When we talk about finding resolutions, it's simply another way of saying solving problems. This is where a lot of communication and negotiation takes place; something many lawyers are good at. Like we talked about before though, you don't have to be a lawyer to be good at these things. We're simply taking Kelleher's insights and experience of being a lawyer and magnifying how these characteristics can help anybody in their management skills.

What's interesting to me about solving problems is the absolute necessity of the first two important attributes being performed first. If you don't look at real facts and get into the real issues at hand, there is absolutely no way that a solution can be found.

Once the real problem is found, at that time is when creativity and innovation can be brought to the front to solve them. Think of that for a moment. What if one of the reasons you're company and you may be having trouble innovating and being creative is because you may not even understand what it is you're trying to solve, or you're endlessly dealing with symtoms rather than core issues?

As far as finding resolutions go, this has more to do with attitude and heart to me, than anything else. Once the key problems are accurately identified, it's a matter of belief and will that results in solutions. That can take on all sorts of manifestations, but the factors that solve problems begin with the will and the belief you can find a way. Then it's a matter of brainstorming and getting input from resourceful people to solve the issue.

Amazingly, I've even seen management that sees the problem and issue, but don't have the will to fix what needs to be fixed. It is here that you can lose your best people if you neglect to take steps or ask for input.

Just think like a lawyer: You've got to solve the problem for your client, everything else should be secondary.

Three Ways Being a Lawyer Helped Kelleher:

Finding the facts 

Get Down to Real Issues

Reaching a Resolution

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Other Herb Kelleher Sources:

Special Event

Leadership: The Essential Herb Kelleher

The CEO as Brand Guardian

Herb's way

Speeches and Presentations from Southwest Leaders

Southwest Airlines: The Hottest Thing in the Sky

Have Fun, Make Money

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