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Raising the Leadership Bar at Southwest Airlines

ebryant1
Explorer C

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been at Southwest for ten years. Time flies. I moved to Dallas from the San Francisco Bay Area “temporarily” to gain some experience in Leadership Development. Since that time, I married my college sweetheart, bought two homes, and have three amazing children.

Jeff Lamb, my Leader, knows this story. He knows it very well because he knows me. A common phrase we use to describe an effective Leader is “My Leader gets me.” Jeff doesn’t just know me because he should–he genuinely cares about my life. I work for a Leader who is passionate about developing People and leading with a Servant’s Heart. How lucky am I?

We have five expectations of every Leader at Southwest: Live the Southwest Way (Warrior Spirit, Servant’s Heart, Fun-LUVing Attitude), Develop People, Build Great Teams, Think Strategically, and Get Excellent Results. We hire and promote based on these expectations. In our University for People, our curriculum is designed to provide learning for Leaders around each expectation. Our Senior Leaders participate in the development of our less experienced Leaders by visiting classes and facilitating lessons. Jeff continues to be one of our most requested speakers because of his experience and the relationships he builds with the Participants. In a nutshell, people leave class saying “Jeff gets me.” They’re right. And, many of you who have communicated with Jeff through this blog know that too. Here’s a short video of Jeff in action:
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