Herb Kelleher

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He funded the Herb Kelleher center for Entrepreneurship at the university. The reason is because he thinks it's very important to Texas and to the country that they preserve their entrepreneurial spirit. As it gets bigger and things get more complex, he thinks there is more of a tendency to get more oppportunities, to get things accomplished and the importance of things work. One of the things mentioned he always tried to do was to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive at Southwest Airlines, even as it grew bigger and more complex. "That's where the job creation is coming from. It's from the small businesses, not big businesses," he said.

The advice he would give brand-new CEOs if they wanted to have the kind of success he has. Is to focus intently on what's important and what's unimportant, not be trapped ina debt or burden. "Be results-and mission-oriented." He said wants to keep it as simple as they possibly can so that the values and the destination of the organization are well understood by all the people that are part of it so that they can feel that they are truly participants in it.

Herb Kelleher has learned from his experiences, both positively and negatively, and continued to lead SWA until he stepped down from the CEO position in 2001 he left as a legend. At the time of his departure, it was time for a new leader with fresh ideas and strategies to take SWA to the next level. Although he is no longer part of SWA, he continued working with SWA as Chairman of the Board until he resigned from the board in 2008. Herb Kelleher continued to be part of Southwest Airlines. One of his biggest concerns was a leader that would carry on the SWA culture and maintain the reputation as one of the leading airline carriers in the industry.

Herb Kelleher leadership style had a unique element. He had an employees-first approach. Most companies consider that customers are always right, pretty much in the line of the boss is always right but Kelleher wanted to truly connect with his employees and keep them happy. He had a simple understanding of ground reality. That if employees are happy then they will make the customers happy, if the employees are not happy then no matter how many policies a company has and how strict they are, the customers will be treated in ways that are undesirable or pleasant.

Herb Kelleher with high moral values and a genuine devotion to do something good it led him to become a leader who was respected by all and that led him to build a brand that has its own unique place in the history of corporate America. He has defined what the would can be changed of how it can be a great effect if employees had the encouragement to feel that work is desirable opportunity to take.

Employyes are proud to work for the company that can be considered to be well treated and well respected. They take the pride to work for the SWA and share the motivation towards their work and skills. The role of leadership at SWA is to protect the motivation and use them to create new skills and new ideas towards their work environment on a daily bases. Herb Kelleher has shown his emplyess that they are motivated to use their leadership skills to better the company .