"If somebody said to me, Herb, I'd love to be a great coach or a great leader but I don't have the time to do it. My response to them would be, you don't have time to do anything else until you accomplish that."
The reason I conclude this in the management series, is because this is an excellent way to test yourself on whether you really want to be in a leadership position in business.
Anybody that understands the value of time, will know that it's the most important commodity we have while on this earth. Questions we have concerning whether we want to pursue a specific direction or not must be filtered through the time factor.
While the way Herb Kelleher said the statement may sound a little negative, I don't think he meant it that way. What he meant was unless the time factor is settled, there is no way you can really be an effective leader.
The other side of it was he was saying if you don't have time to be a great coach or leader, the time to do anything else won't matter.
What he meant was every worker should eventually grow into a coach or leader in the business; at least that's what he expected at Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV).
If you've been in business long enough, you will learn that there is no way a leader can do all the leading, it's absolutely impossible. The great leaders do everything to empower others, so they can go as far as they want with the company, or flourish in their existing position.
Kelleher knew that a title had nothing to do with anything, but true leadership and coaching happens with those that have ownership in what's going on. Kelleher was a genius at encouraging his people to have ownership. That's why they outperformed their competitors year after year.
Other Herb Kelleher Sources:
Herb Kelleher on the Record, Part 1
Belief Model for The Leadership of Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines)
Herb Kelleher, Chairman, CEO and President, Southwest Airlines
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