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Employee Stories: Jennifer’s Emerging Leadership Experience

dsiemiet
Explorer C

Southwest Airlines’ Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP) is opening its doors to high-potential Leaders with a drive to work in Southwest Operations. ELDP is an 18-month job rotational program consisting of on-the-job training, with an emphasis in Leadership Development.  During the course of the program, participants work as Supervisors in their host locations in three of the following areas: Customer Service, Operations, Ramp, Provisioning, and Customer Support & Services. In a fast-paced environment that’s always evolving, ELDP graduates have the advantage of Leadership experience in most, or all, areas of Southwest Operations. Questions? Email ELDP@wnco.com. Get to know Jennifer Edwards, a recent ELDP participant who is now a Customer Service Supervisor in Tampa, Fla., and apply now through Monday, Sept. 21.   Q. How do you live and work the Southwest Way? A. From the very first day at Southwest, we’ve heard that our People are what make the difference at Southwest. They are our competitive advantage. The one piece of advice I’ve heard consistently from Leaders is to “know your people.” For me, that has been the starting point for Living and Working the Southwest Way. Q. What is your favorite food? A. I like to try new dishes from other cultures—call me adventurous! Q. How did you hear about ELDP? A. I first heard about the legendary Southwest Culture during a management class in college, and I was hooked! I had been checking the career section of the Southwest website regularly when I saw the ELDP opening posted. It was exactly what I had been looking for. Q. What is one item on your bucket list? A. I want to get my Pilot’s license! Q. If you could give one piece of advice to future ELDP Leaders, what would it be? A. If you love working with Customers, then this is the job for you. In Ground Operations, irregular schedules are common, and I can guarantee you will never be bored. Be humble and ask questions! There is a wealth of knowledge around you when you work for this Company, and you just have to be willing to ask.