Herbert Kelleher

Herbert Kelleher is renowned throughout the aviation industry. He cofounded Southwest Airlines and remained as its chairman for over thirty years. Although he opted to step down from the board in 2008, his leadership has shaped the way Southwest operates its business today.

Leadership Abilities

Herbert Kelleher showed leadership abilities at an early age. He captained a basketball team and even served as student council president. His experience as a leader was also honed when he worked part-time at the Campbell Soup Company. He finished a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at Wesleyan University and went on to study law at New York University.

Starting Southwest Airlines

One big step he took was to turn down an offer from a law firm in New York and open his own practice in Texas instead. There he met Rollin King, one of his clients and a would-be partner in Southwest Airlines. The business’s idea was to offer passengers a hassle-free flight  service at the lowest price possible. Kelleher liked the idea and helped it become reality.

Any article on Kelleher has to talk about his unique way of managing people. He inspired employees to provide the best customer service. In turn, customer satisfaction remained high and the reputation of the airline continued to grow. Success also came from his expertise in airline management including cost control. Southwest has become legendary for its ability to reduce overhead cost.

Southwest Airlines started with three Boeing 737 planes in 1971. It had less than seventy employees in the beginning. Thirty years later, it is one of America’s largest airlines and the firm continues to rake in billions of dollars in annual sales.