“I took an aptitude test in college, and it said there were three things I’d be fairly decent at,” says Kelleher, “being a journalist, an editor, or a lawyer.” Nobody – not the other airlines, not the financial community, not even his own aptitude test – believed Kelleher had what it took to start a successful company. So how did this man who was so destined to be a lawyer defy fate and become one of the most successful CEOs of his time?
People: “Down in San Antonio, when one of our customers was railing at one of our customers services agents and said: Don’t you know I’m a shareholder of Southwest Airlines?” says Kelleher. “And the customer-service agent looked at her and said: Lady, we all are.” At Southwest, Kelleher made people his priority. From generous profit-sharing plans to personalized attention, Kelleher wanted his company to be a place where people actually enjoyed coming to work each day.
Service: “Here's the kind of letter that we got: Herb, I went through El Paso the other day, and I was sold a ticket by a customer-service agent who just isn't like Southwest Airlines. There is something wrong with this agent,” says Kelleher. “You see the distinction? Not that Southwest Airlines is a bad apple, but this person is a bad apple, and I don't understand how you can allow that person to continue to work for you.” By focusing on supreme customer service, Kelleher made sure that his company was number one in the eyes of those who fly.
Personality: “One of the managers in our People Department once said, ‘The important thing is to take the bricklayer and make him understand that he’s building a home, not just laying bricks,’” says Kelleher. “So we take the building a home approach: This is what you’re doing not only for yourself but for society: giving people who’d otherwise not be able to travel the opportunity to do so.” Kelleher inspired his team towards a greater good, adding a unique level of personality to the company that would attract customers to come.
Practice: Kelleher was not a businessman by any stretch of the imagination when he first began. His life had been played out in the courtroom as he devoted himself to his legal career. But when he finally made the decision to become an entrepreneur, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. He used courage, ambition and lots of on-the-job learning to make up for his professional shortcomings.
Persistence: “For me, the cancer was never an issue,” says Kelleher of his battle with prostate cancer. “It was just something I had to get through, and I tried to keep my sense of humour about it.” From legal battles to the battle for his life, Kelleher refused to ever give up. He insisted on seeing his goals through to the very end.
Between 1966 and 1982, Kelleher served as the founder and lawyer for Southwest Airlines. From 1982 to 2001, he stepped up as the company’s president, CEO, and chairman. During all that time, he took a small regional upstart and grew it into one of the nation’s largest airlines. 30 consecutive years of profitability are evidence enough of his success. Now, looking back, Kelleher says, “When I start to have more time, I have thought that I might write a few things…I might write about Southwest: It would be a fascinating story; I wouldn't change a thing.”
Flying High: How Kelleher Took Southwest to the Top
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